


Steel Studios

by A_Dark_Hammer



Series: Newport!Verse [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Age Difference, Discussion About the Porn Industry, Explicit Language, Families of Choice, Fictional Setting in the Real World, M/M, Manipulative Friendship, Marked Explicit to Cover My Bum, Mature/Adult Themes, Odd Friendships, Odd Siblings, Open Relationships, Polyamory, Porn Stars Are People Too, Pure Unadulterated Fluff, Slow Burn, Story About Porn Stars That Features Very Little Porn, Underage Drinking, With the Occasional Angst, consensual non-monogamy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2016-04-14
Packaged: 2018-04-09 00:04:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 87,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4325991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Dark_Hammer/pseuds/A_Dark_Hammer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Corey Olsen is old money, his family helped found the Hot-Spot-To-Be city of Newport, California. The sun, the sand, and high school were his way of life until recently. Now down on his luck, the teen is starting to learn that those around him aren't always the best to trust when the World turns its back on you. </p><p>That is until he makes an unexpected friend in a man he has only ever seen before on his computer screen, one that others might say has a less than honest profession. As time goes by Corey also begins to learn another valuable life lesson: A family of choice can be just as valuable as one of blood.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meetings Clandestine in Nature

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so welcome to my newest story here, which for now will go by Steel Studios until I can come up with anything better 
> 
> This story revolves around a number of men that work in the sex industry (more specifically filming porn) and a teenager that one of them accidentally kind of 'adopts'. I state right now that I know very little/basically nothing about the actual porn industry and this story is more likely than not an inaccurate portrayal. But seeing as this is my own little universe to play with, I will do so as I please. 
> 
> Also, note how the underage Archive Warning is not selected. That is because THERE WILL BE NO SEXUAL INTERACTION between these men and the teen until he is of legal age (18) if not older. If you are expecting some sort of 50 Shades of Gay go elsewhere, as this will not be the story for you. 
> 
> All these things stated, I can understand how the topics in this story might not be your cup of tea and I fully understand/respect that. So, if the concept of the Porn Industry or conversation of such bothers you I will not be offended if you do not read this story. It is here for people to enjoy, not force themselves to suffer through. 
> 
> If you do decide to stick with me through this story I hope that you enjoy it as I have spent a good amount of time working on it. 
> 
> Feel free to check out the other stories in this 'Verse as I will be posting those here as well. 
> 
> Aaaaand now, with that monster out of the way: Enjoy~!
> 
> (Updates on this and other Newport stories will be erratic, but I will attempt to update at least one of them every week, if not more.)

The coastal city of Newport was always busy, quickly working its way towards being a bustling metropolis to rival LA or San Francisco. Most travel agencies compared the city to San Diego, but it had a beat all its own. Right on the water Newport easily held the culture, easy and laid back all the while facilitating the high speed tempo of the concrete jungle. It was a good place to live on the California coast line, closer to the equator than farther, and many families had done so for generations. 

The Olsen family was one of them. Great Granny Olsen had moved with her husband back at the tail-end of the gold rush, settling in the town that would evolve into a city in time. She had three children, two of which moved back East but Charles Olsen stayed behind to raise his own family in the growing economy. Charles and Maria Olsen went on to have five children, the youngest, Alden Olsen deciding to watch glass and cement towers sprout around his home. Years later Alden and Reina Olsen only had two children: Jr, the older, and Corey, the younger. 

Newport had grown to have several large skyscrapers all of its own, but the city had many parks and attempted to stay well planted and green. The Olsen house was as close to the center of town as you could possibly get, City Hall and Central Park being directly across from the small victorian soap box. Corey grew up there, had seen apartment complexes spring up next to them, many of his own friends didn’t have actual houses to live in but their parents rented. The growing city was a good place for the elementary school teacher, Reina, and her construction worker husband. The Olsen family was by then old money, but never stooped to the level of not earning their way. The family was so important to the growth of the city that there was even a garden dedicated to them in Central Park. 

But the city wasn’t perfect, as with all large civilizations there was a darker underbelly. Crime wasn’t as savage as it was other places, but there were places one shouldn’t be at after dark. On a whole the police force managed the area well, local enforcers not having any tolerance for the criminals that gathered in larger cities. Filming was common in Newport, it held a charm that seemed to attract film-makers and the like, it also attracted some of the less than desirable industries as well. 

With two malls, miles of smooth sanded beaches, plenty of cafés, and countless other assorted outlets the teen populous was never prone to boredom. Spring Break was a bit of an upheaval of the typical calm, but it was quickly over and many of the vendors couldn’t complain about the business it brought. Yes, Newport California was quickly becoming _the_ place to be. At seventeen Corey couldn’t quite disagree, he had plenty of friends and things to do. The teen himself didn’t really have many hobbies other than an interest in film, he had planned to attend the Newport Academy of Film next fall once he graduated. It was his plan anyways, his father wanted him to join the Union like his brother had. The older Olson offspring going into electrical work. 

It was several hours 'till sunset on the nice mid-Spring day, it was early April and the heat was coming on for the year. Wind blew through the buildings keeping it pleasant, sea air scenting the city. Corey had spent the vast majority of his day with friends on the beach, his ex was a surfer and the two were still close. Waiting at the bus stop on the West-Side the teen always liked that many of the busses stopped in Central, not too far from home. As the bus rumbled up the teen stood and fished out his card, prepaid and good for thirty days, it was a bit of a life saver for the kid who couldn’t drive. 

Courtesy was something that had been hammered into Corey’s head as a child so he patiently waited for all the people to get off the bus before attempting to get on. The warm day brought out the athleticism in people it seemed, kids on rollerblades shooting by careless of the pedestrians nearby. Normally the blond would just chuckle and shake his head, kids would be kids, but one of them clipped a large man on crutches causing him to drop his bag of groceries and stumble. 

“Hey, watch where you are going!” Corey yelled after the preteens, none of them even looking back. Walking over and bending down to help the man gather his things the blond shook his head. “Are you okay?”  

“Yeah, thanks.” The man’s deep voice grumbled, face shadowed by a baseball cap.

In this kind of weather it wasn’t uncommon to see a man in such casual wear. It was what one would expect from a tourist: the traditional garish hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts, flip-flops, and sunglasses, but that wasn’t what caught the blond’s attention. The man was big, not monstrously so, just noticeably. He clearly spent time in the gym, that was very clear, possibly even how he injured himself. Since there was no cast it could have just been a sprain from overworking on a machine.

Blushing as he looked down Corey just nodded. Luckily it seemed that the man’s groceries were okay, nothing was broken but a few of the oranges were probably bruised. People just ignored the two, once again not particularly odd, the big city feeling had been seeping in for years. The teen didn’t get it and he wondered when people stopped caring about each other. The bus even pulled away from the curb, the blond looking over and swearing under his breath. It would be another half hour before the next bus. 

“Everything okay?” The man’s voice rumbled. 

Looking back up at the bespectacled man Corey smiled and nodded. “Yeah, just missed the bus.” 

“Ah,” The man stood and balanced himself on his one crutch, clutching his bag to his side. “Sorry about that.”

“No worries.” Corey waved off and looked out at the departing bus. Glancing back he noticed that his eyes were directly level with the man’s chin. And that he needed a shave.

Rolling his shoulders the teen shrugged and looked at the man, not even having to stoop to get a good look from under the brim of the hat he wore. He looked familiar, very familiar. Being on the shorter side at only five foot eight Corey guessed that the man was probably six foot four or so. His ol’ man was a little shorter at six foot two. 

“So, you sure you are okay?” Corey checked. “Nothing made worse or feeling off?”  

“Nope,” The man chuckled. “I’m fine. Kid’s just need to watch where they’re going.”

“Yeah,” The teen shrugged. “Kids will be kids I guess...”

“That they will.” 

Corey looked back up at the man to notice that he was looking back at him over his shades. Eyes so blue looked right down into his core, the icy depths lit up like neon in the dark of night. Then it hit him. Corey knew exactly where he recognized this man from. Blushing heavily the teen looked away again, feeling the heat spread across the back of his neck and to the top of his ears. 

“You’re,” Corey’s voice caught in his throat. Clearing it he lowered his voice to nearly a whisper. “You’re Magnum Steel.” 

At that the man laughed, deep and hard. Masculine. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” Putting weight on his crutch the man smirked. “You a fan?”

Blushing somehow even harder the teen nodded. “You could say that.” 

Chuckling the tall man nodded and gestured with his chin. “Tell you what, why don’t you take a walk with me. I’ll drive you home once we get back to mine.” Mr. Steel spoke, already leading the way. “Since I made you miss your buss and all.”

“Uh,” Corey’s mother’s voice erupted in his head, telling him not to follow strangers or to trust people you just met. But then he reminded himself that he really didn’t have anywhere he needed to be, and this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity. “Sure.” 

Keeping in stride with the large man was harder than Corey expected, considering the leader was on crutches. Well, _a_ crutch. It made the teen wonder if the injury had been sustained during a shoot. That reminded the blond exactly what the man next to him did for a living. 

“So...” Corey spoke after a block had passed. “Um, what are you doing here in Newport?”

Magnum looked over at him and chuckled. “You never noticed that the studios were based here?” 

“Um, no...” It was true, he hadn’t. His focus was...elsewhere.

“So, tell me, who’s your favorite?” The dark haired man smirked. 

They were walking back out towards the beachfront, where some of the most expensive real-estate was. 

“Well...” Corey blushed and scratched at the back of his neck. “Um...”

“If you say it isn’t me my feelings won’t be hurt.” Mr. Steel spoke teasingly.

The teen choked a little and looked at the ground, blush still evident. 

“Or I guess if you say I am then I’m more than okay with that too.” The grin that the man took was the epitome of shit-eating. One that was both flirty and filthy, and it was disturbingly familiar. 

“Yeah...” Corey spoke softly, earning another loud laugh. 

“Cool.” The man nodded and continued his way. 

The two walked for another few blocks in silence before Magnum turned on to Marina, the street spanned the entire seaside of the city. With the oceanfront gently lapping to their side Corey was beginning to wonder where they were going. He didn’t feel like he was in danger with the man next to him, but he couldn’t shake the fact that he was very much wandering town with a stranger. His mother would be _so_ angry with him. 

The coast of Newport was nice and flat in most places but as one continued North along Marina street the city rose up and the coastline was met by cliffs. Up top there was a small gated community that supposedly had private access to a small beach on the other side. Corey had no idea who lived there, but considering how nice some of the houses were when they built them three years ago they had to be among the rich and famous. 

“Here, could you hold this?” Magnum spoke after a little while, holding out the crutch he had been using. Now he stood just fine on two feet. 

“Uh, sure.” Corey agreed taking the metal leg from the man, looking at it.

“Thanks,” Mr. Steel spoke, taking his hat and turning it so that the brim faced the back. “That thing gets to be a real pain in the pit.”

“But don’t you need it?” The teen looked confused and caught up to the walking man.

“Naw, it’s just a bit of camouflage.” The actor shook his head. “Sometimes me or a few of the other guys like to just walk about town, but it’s kind of hard when people can recognize us so easily.” Casting a smirk to the teen next to him the man shrugged. “It’s our way of hiding in plain sight.”

“Oh, okay,” The blond nodded. “Must be kind of hard.” 

“It’s the price of stardom.” Magnum nodded sagely. 

The uprising part of Newport was definitely where all the money was, rich storefronts proudly displayed their wares and the Seaside Cinema always had the best films. Corey didn’t spend a lot of time there unless he was with friends, but he was beginning to feel like Magnum did. Reaching the top of their ascent they crossed the road at a light and continued on their way. The tall man next to the teen just casually strolled, long legs leisurely keeping a slow gait for the shorter male. Corey also started to think that maybe this man didn’t get a lot of time to socialize outside of his business. Either that or he was being taken back to the man’s house for another reason.

The thought cased the teen to stop in his tracks.

“I don’t want to have sex with you.” Corey blurted, blushing suddenly and looking at his feet. 

Luckily nobody else seemed to be in earshot to hear his outburst.

Magnum stopped and turned to look back at him, raising a brow. It seemed to take the man a few seconds to connect the dots but when he did Mr. Steel just laughed and shook his head. 

“Good,” Turning to fully face the teen Magnum smiled. “I don’t make it my business to sleep with kids.” Shrugging the man turned and continued his stroll. “Plus I got a shoot tomorrow and I need to be able to, well, _shoot_.” 

Blushing the teen immediately got the man’s meaning and caught up. 

“Really?”

“Yeah, cute guy from San Diego.” Magnum nodded, grinning. “Gonna show him a good time.”

“Wow...” Corey thought for a moment on how easily Magnum was speaking about his work. Then he focused back on his earlier statement. “But you really have no intention of sleeping with me?”

Laughing again Magnum shook his head. “No, I don’t.” Looking to the side at the teen he sighed. “You’re what, sixteen?”

“Seventeen.” Corey grumpily interjected. 

“Still jailbait.” The dark haired man pointed out. “It may be my job to stick my dick in things, but I’m not into sleeping with things that will end me in prison.” 

“Oh.” The blond looked down, eyes on his moving feet. 

“Yeah...” Magnum stated. “Just trying to be friendly. Kind of felt like you could use it.”

“Really?” Corey looked up shyly. 

“Sure,” Mr. Steel shrugged. “Besides, how many other teens can say they’ve been to the house of the guy they beat-off online to?”

Blushing the teen smiled slightly. He liked Mr. Steel, the man seemed nice if not maybe completely crass.

As they walked Corey noticed that they had passed the cinema and were approaching the gated community. Nobody had seen the houses in years, not since the sound wall grew in. Only the cast iron gate itself leant any visibility to the inhabitants, and even that was intricate enough to prevent a great view. Written in the gate in twisted metal simply read ‘ _Steel_ ’ and then it made sense to Corey where they were going.

Walking right up to the small security building Magnum tapped on the glass window, slightly spooking the poor guard inside. 

“Ah, good evening Mr. Acciaio,” The young guard blushed slightly. “I’ll opening it right up for you.” 

Corey felt a little self-conscious as the guard eyed him skeptically before the gentle ringing of a bell sounded and a small side gate opened up. Magnum just strolled right on in giving the young man a wave before motioning the teen to join him. Inside the complex was nicer than Corey expected. There were only five houses on the lot, each spread out decently apart. There weren’t any fences though it did look like the gardens acted as loose barriers between the properties. The road itself ended in a cul-de-sac, rounding a large fountain in the middle. Each house was up off the drive with driveways and a garage, even a nice sidewalk went around. It made the teen feel like he suddenly stepped into Hollywood.

“Well, what do you think?” Magnum chuckled, noticing the teen’s stunned expression. 

“It’s nice,” Corey expressed. “Really nice.”

“Yeah, we like it.” The man smiled and walked down the path. 

Each of the houses were slightly different, though it could be seen that they most likely had the same architect. They were all painted similarly, in nice mute colors with stone facades though each seemed to have a slightly different color theme. 

“Um, who is ‘we’, exactly?” The teen looked over at his companion. 

“Well, you got me,” Magnum listen on his free hand. “Mann, Hardson, McNeal, and Apollo all living here.”

“You mean, all you guys live here?” Corey asked shocked, mind quickly putting faces to the actors names he knew so well.

“Yep,” Mr. Steel smirked, popping the p. “Corporate likes to have all of their ‘Stallions’ in one stable, so to say.” 

“So five of the biggest names in the industry right now all live in the same little gated community?” The blond looked at the houses with a new vision, knowing that within those walls lived the men of fantasy. 

“Steel Studios built it for us,” Magnum nodded. “We’re the only contracted actors they have, everyone else is either freelance or signed on elsewhere.”

“Wow...” Corey paused, looking at the blue house in front of him, the front lawn immaculate as the cute little rhododendron bloomed out front. 

“This one is me.” Magnum smirked, standing next to the teen admiring the vision.“Come on in.” Guiding the teen inside the man chuckled softly at the blond’s intake. 

“This is really cool.” Corey revered as he admired the den. 

The basic floor plan was really simple, the door opened and there was a small tile landing that ended up against dark blue carpet. The room had two couches and a decently sized glass table, the nice white leather standing as a nice contrast to the blue toned decor. The walls were painted an off-white tinted ever so lightly with blue, or possibly it was just the lighting to pick up the color. Stairs led up to a second floor and a closet was under them, a well lit aquarium set into the wall; the thing easily being over two hundred gallons. 

Feeling a hand land on his shoulder the teen looked back at Magnum and smiled. The man shared a smile before jostling his paper bag. 

“I’m going to put this stuff away, make yourself at home.” 

Corey nodded and looked around a little more, taking time to set the crutch propped against a couch. Posters on the walls all seemed to be either of model shoots of the house’s owner or other models. Some pieces on the walls appeared to be awards and plaques. To the side of the den was what appeared to be an entertainment room, another white couch and a recliner sitting comfortably in front of a large flatscreen. The teen guessed that was Magnum’s man cave of sorts. The back wall was also opened to reveal the kitchen. 

The theme of white and blue seemed to continue there as well, though the occasional stainless steel appliance did make its presence known. Magnum was in there putting fruit in a bowl on the island. The man was beautiful, in that masculine way that some lucky bastards managed pulled off. It was no wonder to Corey that he was a favorite of the camera, with sharp square features and natural grace. Looking away the teen let himself be drawn back to the den, focusing on the water feature there. 

Corey did a report once on the Great Barrier Reef, the ecosystem fascinating him more than any other when he was ten. Some kids loved dinosaurs, Corey loved fish. And this aquarium was like an aquarist’s wet dream. It was actually set into the wall, all the lighting and filtration hidden from view. The top of it ended about where the teen estimated would be the top of Magnum’s head. In it swam fish he had only ever seen on television, names coming to mind easily. But the most prominent was a large [Blueface Angelfish](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5153b3fae4b0473d83b61202/t/53f3f597e4b00f86781cfca8/1408497067473/?format=750w), clearly the focal point of the tank.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Magnum spoke up from behind, the large man somehow stealthy.

“Yeah...” Corey gazed at the carefully cultivated coral and balanced mini-biome.

“My brother said that any fine man had an aquarium to be proud of.” The large man shrugged. “Don’t think he thought I’d out do him.” 

“It’s really pretty.” The teen commented, still entrapped. 

“It should be considering what it cost me!” Magnum laughed loudly, eyes twinkling. 

The two admired the fish side by side for a few moments before Mr. Steel twirled his sun glasses and stretched out his arms.

“So, I’m going to go get changed. I think these shirts begin to taint your soul after wearing them too long.”

Laughing Corey looked up to his host and nodded. He himself wasn’t a fan of hawaiian shirts, or bold colors on a whole. His own wardrobe was a lot tamer, mostly polos and nice jeans. Sometimes his friends made fun of him for such stifling clothing, but it was what he had. 

Left alone once again Corey was tempted to explore more of the house but didn’t want to intrude. So he sat on the sofa and continued to watch the fish, the lights above were set in a way to fluctuate smoothly as though clouds were passing overhead. The current in the tank was soft and soothing, corals and anemones gracefully swaying. It was so calming to watch, the fish all dancing among the synthetic waves. Corey had won a goldfish from the fair once, it was the only pet he had ever had. His dad was allergic to most animals so having them in the house was out of the question. The goldfish had lived for years until it finally died just a few months prior, housed in a twenty gallon tank. 

“You got anywhere you need to be?”Magnum asked, reappearing from upstairs in what looked to be very comfortable slacks and a rolled up collared shirt. Business casual seemed to suit the man just right. 

“Uh, no,” Corey looked at the man then back at the safety of the tank. “I’m not really living with the folks right now.” 

“Really?” Magnum stretched his arms across the back of the opposite couch, leg crossed across the other ankle to knee. He was barefoot. “Isn’t that a little odd for a kid your age?”

“I guess.” Corey looked down. “But I’m with my brother.”

“Cool.” Mr. Steel nodded and watched the angel for a moment. “You know, I never caught your name.”

Blushing the teen looked down feeling silly for forgetting to introduce himself. “Corey, Olsen.”

“Nice to meet you, Corey Olsen.” Magnum smiled softly, not bothering to stretch the distance to offer a hand. “I’m David Acciaio.” 

“David?” The teen returned the greeting and frowned. “But I thought you were...?”

“I am,” The man laughed. “You didn’t honestly think my name was ‘Magnum’, did you?”

Blushing the teen looked down. “I guess that is kind of silly.”

The two shared a laugh before David settled down and shook his head. “Naw, none of us guys use our real names on a shoot, except McNeal. Though he doesn’t used his first name; Percival isn’t very sexy.” 

“No,” Corey shook his head. “So, you’re pretty close with the other guys?”

“Not like you might be thinking,” David corrected. Nodding the dark haired man looked out the window. “But, yeah, when we aren’t on set we’re usually here.” Pointing out at the other houses the man counted them off. “Daren, or ‘Apollo’, lives in the orange house; McNeal is in the green; ‘Mann’s real name is Peter and he’s in the beige house; and the last house, the grey one, belongs to Reidar, you know him as ‘Hardson’.”

“It must be nice to live with friends.” Corey voiced wistfully. 

“It is.” The dark haired man looked at the teen in his house, head tilted in curiosity. “Don’t have many of your own?” 

“It’s complicated” Corey shrugged. “Just me and my ex most the time, the rest are kind of his friends actually.”

David hummed and nodded slowly. “I’m guessing it didn’t end too well?”

“No, we’re good.” The blond shook his head. “We just wanted different things at the time.”

“Like?” David tilted his head. 

“Sex.” Corey scratched at his nose, doing his darned best to fight the blush that was trying to appear. “He wanted to, but I wasn’t there yet.”

“Ah, yeah...” The man stared off for a moment nodding slowly. “The first time can be scary.”

Blush breaking through Corey looked over to David and frowned slightly. “How’d you know?”

“Part of my job, kid,” David winked. “There’s a reason the term is ‘blushing virgin’.” 

The blond teen shook his head, attempting to remove his heated face. It was just another thing that Jim’s friends liked to tease him about, he was the only virgin in the group. Personally Corey didn’t mind, he wanted his sex life to have meaning not just fling after fling or strictly casual. Maybe that made him old fashioned, but he refused to be pressured into anything more than he was ready for. 

“So, I’m betting you’re pretty happy to be done with school soon?” David spoke after a long pause. “High school, right? Your age, you should be a senior.”

“Junior, actually.” Corey corrected, looking up at the man shyly. “I was held back in fourth for my inability to do mathematics well.”

“That’s a shame.” The man looked out the window and back. 

“Yeah...” The teen agreed. “It’s weird, I’m older than everyone else my grade by months. I mean, I’ll be eighteen before I’m a senior!”

“Yeah?” David focused in on Corey again. 

“Yep, July eighth.” The blond smiled softly. “My dad used to say that the fireworks for me when I was little.”

“That’s pretty cute.” The black haired man smirked. “I’m in November, not really much there.”

“There’s Thanksgiving.” Corey pointed out. 

“Not a big deal in my family,” The large man shrugged. “Being Italian and only second generation my parents feel like it’s not really their thing. Doesn’t stop my mom from cooking up a feast though.”

The teen laughed and nodded. His family didn’t do much for that holiday either but that was mostly because everybody was too busy. 

“I should probably get you home, school night and all.” David spoke as he stood. Pulling a leather jacket from the closet and slipping on loafers the man smirked down at the teen and winked. The action confused Corey, but in an odd way he felt like he had won himself a friend. Standing himself the teen felt his pockets to assure himself that he had everything before walking to the door. The garage door rose to reveal a pristine muscle car, the paint broken by to pearl stripes down the back.

“Blue is a thing for you, isn’t it?” Corey playfully glared at his host.

David simply shrugged, smirking as he got into the vehicle. “I like blue.”

Corey just shook his head and chuckled. He liked David, it was no harm that the man was easy to look at but he was also a good person. The teen had always held in his head an image of what workers of that industry would be like, but David broke all of them. He seemed to be just another guy, older and wiser perhaps, but just another person. Nothing unusual or special. 

“So, where am I taking you?” The blue eyed man asked, the car reversing and gliding across pavement smoothly.

“Um, Third and Central.” The blond responded, still looking about the car. It was clearly redone in the last few years, outside it screamed it was from the past but the inside spoke of nothing but the future.

“My sister gave this car to me for my twenty fifth.” David prompted as they passed the open gate. “Before then I was driving around a junker that I had bought myself when I turned sixteen.”

“It’s really nice.” Corey complemented. He knew virtually nothing about cars, but over the years with his brother and father he could recognize prime work.

“Thanks,” The man smiled and drove. “So, I was thinking you should probably take my number. I’m busy a lot of the time but I tend to find myself free most evenings after four.”

Corey smirked at the man and snorted. “What would a man such as yourself have any interest in spending time with a kid ten years your junior?” Not that Corey himself wasn’t interested. He’d take any time with this man that he could get. 

"Nine." David corrected as he turned onto Central and chuckled. “You’re a good kid. Hate to see that eaten by the big city.” The drive across town was quick, do to lack of traffic and know how the trip was only about fifteen minutes. “Also, adult friends can be just as valuable in the real world.”

“Okay,” Corey agreed, smiling as they pulled up to the curb on Third. Pulling out his old flip phone the teen looked at the man as he retrieved his own —more updated— mobile. “So...”

“Here,” David chuckled as he took the teen’s phone and quickly programmed his number. “Just shoot me a text anytime. Leave your name so I know it’s not just some crazy and I’ll get back to ya.” Once again the man winked, sending butterflies free in the teen’s stomach. 

Corey nodded and waved as he walked up the path, using his key to unlock the front door of the house that his brother rented with his girlfriend. David’s car remained motionless until the teen had entered the door, the man waving one last time before merging back into traffic. 

Weaving through the living room and getting to the kitchen Corey let his mind wander. He had just spent the last two hours talking to a Mr. David Acciaio, a.k.a. Magnum Steel of Steel Studios. A porn star and constant morningly inspiration. Fixing himself a scrambled egg sandwich the teen listened to the empty house. In the middle of town you couldn’t hear the ocean anymore. Just the sounds of traffic and people. David’s house felt comfortable even in the silence, waves adding a constant cadence to the background. The teen let those feelings set in before heading to his small room, deciding that because he did indeed have school tomorrow he should get an early night.

 


	2. Something About the Good Ol' Song & Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so here is the second chapter. Sorry it took me so long, this chapter was fighting me all the way. It's mostly filler but we get to learn more about David and his particular situation. I will do my best to have the next chapter up asap. 
> 
> A huge thanks to my first Kudos ever! (I won't point fingers but you know who you are) So happy that somebody read this and liked it ^w^
> 
> Also, as another piece of news I just started another story and member of the Newport!verse: ['Over the Barrel' ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4408022/chapters/10011242). Feel free to check that out as well.
> 
> Oh! And a note about how I display texting when I write. I use brackets like this [...] to show that it is a message. A message sent out is displayed as regular text while a message received is in _italics_. Hope that clears up any confusion.

Saying that school was difficult was accurate for Corey, in fact he really would have preferred to avoid the place like the plague, but it was a rather needed part of life. A part he just kind of hated. Compared to his brother who was a A+ student all through his years, Corey and his stable B- average was less than stellar. That and being a year behind all of his friends was a big downside. 

 

It wasn’t really that Corey was unintelligent, the subject matter just didn’t seem important to him. He didn’t care that King whoever of the whatever age found and defended someplace against another place that doesn’t even exist anymore. Classes like History just didn’t hold his interest; English was essential but the books they had to read were old and supposedly ‘classic’; Math was still his mortal enemy, that he just couldn’t get. Practical things like Geometry he could do, but using formulas that seemed to have no purpose was like trying to chip down a brick wall with a toothpick —pointless. 

 

Sitting through his classes and watching the time trickle by he simply hoped that the day would come to a close soon enough. He’d sat with Jim during lunch, the other boy talking away with their friends with his arm casted over Corey’s shoulder like it belonged there. The brunet wanted to get back together but Corey refused until the other would respect his boundaries. Which didn’t seem likely. The others bantered back and forth, bragging about their latest conquests and what they could lift at the gym. The blond simply rolled his eyes and smirked, the guys were all still pretty much kids —just like he was— all still cocky and sure about their superiority. He mildly wondered what they would do if David showed up and told them all what _he_ could lift. 

 

What _could_ he lift? 

 

Corey briefly held the idea of shooting the man a text and asking but decided against it. He’d have to jostle Jim to get to his phone and he didn’t feel like explaining to the other teen about who he would be texting when all his friends were right here. Still, Corey kept reflecting back on it whenever somebody would inflate their own ego. Sure, Tony finally slept with that hot blond in his class (Something he put much more crassly), but the guy that Corey hung out with yesterday was probably tapping a hot piece right now. And getting _paid_ for it. 

 

It made him chuckle. Jim cast him a look out of the side of his eye but Corey just shrugged it off. 

 

Cinematic Appreciation was the last class of the day and Corey had at first thought it would be an easy A, but now by the end of the year he was lucky to be scraping a C. Had he known that essays were required to be written every week on some boring old film he would have taken Digital Design instead. But there he sat, vaguely watching some film that may or may not have been a musical, pondering upon his life choices. Casting an eye over to the all too enthralled teacher the blond leaned back in his chair and pulled out his phone. 

 

Biting his lip he pulled up the number and began typing out a message.

 

[So, what is the deal with Musicals anyways? Like, are those people sick or something?] 

 

He wasn’t really expecting a prompt reply, David said that he was commonly busy until four, so he slid the phone away into his pocket and suffered through the ongoing gargling that so many actors tried to pass off as singing. 

 

The day would be over soon, and for that he was grateful. 

 

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

 

David always loved the feeling he had when he was on set, here he was king of the coop and everyone knew it. If he put a little more swagger to his step and grinned more heavily nobody called him on it. At least nobody except his sister. 

“Dave, what the hell is wrong with you?” The busty brunette quickly approached in her four inch heels and power suit. 

Dressed casually in comfortable flannel pants the tall man just smirked some and relaxed further into the couch he was sprawled on. Typically he would spend some time with his co-star after a shoot, but ‘Rocky’ had different plans. 

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” David defused, eyes sparkling with mirth. 

“Do not play coy with me, Mister,” Giovanna cocked her hip and tapped her foot. There was no dispute that David was the king, but everyone knew his sister was God. “What was with that scene?”

“I thought it was pretty great.” Bright blue eyes blinked.

“Oh, there is no dispute that fans will be bursting over that one for years,” Vann rose a brow. “But that was _not_ what the script called for.”

“I am allowed to compromise if I choose,” David defended. “It’s in my contract.”

“David,” His sister calmed her tone and sat next to the sweaty man on the couch. “I’m just curious, you’ve never strayed that far on a script before. Nobody will complain, but that wasn’t really the ‘Alpha Male’ Magnum Steel that your fans have come to know.”

“Maybe I didn’t want to be _him_ this time.” The man looked away, speaking softly.

“Okay, I can get behind that,” Vann nodded, looking concerned. “Are you thinking about maybe stepping back from videos for a while? You are turning twenty seven this year...”

“I’m not old!” David whipped around to glare at the woman. “I just...Maybe Clint didn’t deserve that, you know.”

“You’ve never cared before,” Giovanna shrugged, clipboard on her lap. “You’ve done a lot more to people who are just starting out, Clint is an experienced actor.”

“He just...He reminded me of someone...” David sighed. And it was true, he had never seen Clint Boharn in person before but when he did it almost hit him in the stomach. The resemblance to Corey was stunning, the guy was older at twenty three but he had the same dirty blond hair and size. His eyes were blue instead of green, but it was enough to make David flash back to the kid he had just met yesterday.  

“Dave, if you need some time off, you aren’t scheduled on set for another month or so. We could get someone else to handle Accounting for a little while.” The dark haired woman offered.

“No, it’s fine.” David shook his head. “I just think I may have found somebody.”

The words brought a new light to Giovanna’s eyes, dark brown sparkling at the promise of gossip. However her brother didn’t necessarily sound happy about what he said. 

“I’m picking up a ‘but’...?”

“The ‘but’ is the fact that he is seventeen, and still in high school.” David winced at how it sounded. 

Letting out a breath the woman next to him fell back against the couch, grumbling at her brother’s misfortune.

“You just never make anything easy, do you Little Brother?” 

Chuckling along the man shook his head and threw an arm easily over her shoulders, pulling her in against him. Giovanna batted at his chest and protested that he was sweaty and sticky but he didn’t let her go, he just continued laughing louder. The two sat there for a minute before she broke the silence.

“So, what are you gonna do about it?” 

“Nothing.” David shook his head as he sighed. “Absolutely nothing. At least not until he’s comfortably legal.”

“So no birthday surprises, eh?” Vann smirked. 

“No.” He firmly spoke, looking down at his hands. “He’s young, Vann, really young. It would’t be fair to him to treat him like that.” 

Vann hummed and wiggled her way free. “You have a real big heart for a guy who makes his money with his dick.” 

“And you’re probably the only sister in the world that gets off on that.” David rose a brow, snarking at the woman. 

Shrugging the long haired brunette just turned around and strolled away. “What can I say, I ship it.” 

Sighing deeply David just shook his head and stood. The clock on the wall said that it was a little after three, he had time to get good and clean before clocking out for the day. The books would hold over night without his attention. 

Steel Studios had actually started off as a small Independent Film ‘company’ when David was still a teenager himself. He and his sister enjoyed being in the film industry, shot all sorts of short pieces that were now forever locked away in the Vault of Shame. The had both gone to college for film, though Giovanna went for directing and script writing, David had gone for editing and acting. He also double majored in Finance & Management. They shot their first full length Independent Film their senior year in L.A. and the thing was actually a small success. 

It was also what got David his first gig behind the screen as an ‘Adult Entertainer’. It was with some skeevy studio that wasn’t even around anymore, they gave him a couple hundred bucks to screw some little gym bunny on film. And while he couldn’t say that he was hooked, David did find a certain sense of belonging to the job. 

A year later ‘Magnum Steel’ hit the scene under new management and he’d been doing it ever since. David was also in charge of balancing the books, as well as managing the other administrative duties. He had an assistant, a sweet girl a few years younger than him, and when he wasn’t available there wasn’t anybody else he’d rather hand the business over to. 

The studios still made regular films as well and was building popularity, and that was more where Giovanna held reign. She only ever managed David’s scenes on his side. The rest of her time was spent wrangling up actors for films that could be seen by all. They supposedly had a big name coming in for the film that they had in the works; Vann claimed that this would be the movie that would put them in line with the other big names in film. 

Tucking himself away in his personal room David slipped off his pants and stepped into the bathroom. Flicking on the water he brushed back his hair and let the water roll over him. He’d rather use the shower on set, but Neal had just been using it for a scene and he didn’t trust that the red-head hadn’t left him a ‘surprise’. The man had done it before and there were only so many times that one could could get lube in their hair before getting really pissed off. 

David had gotten him back by hiding jalapeño peppers in Neal’s sandwich the next day.  

And every day since. 

Stepping out of the steam the man pulled over a plushy towel and dried himself off as he walked back into his dressing room. Pulling on his boxer briefs David tossed the towel in a hamper and tugged on his pants, the tight denim dragging on still damp flesh. A simple long-sleeve was next and he sat down on the chair before his mirror to slip on socks and his shoes. David’s phone chirped at him, a soft beep that notified him that he had messages waiting. 

Sliding the touch phone from his pocket the man brushed his hair back again and began filtering through the numerous texts and e-mails that had been collected since morning. Most were junk, spam, or useless advertisements, others were letters to the studios with applications or requests for auditions. Ones that were sent to the wrong branch he forwarded to his sister and he responded to his own while he looked at his calendar. Then there were the texts. 

Just like the mail, some were just trash. Occasionally his number would get leaked and he’d get all sorts of messages telling him how hot he was or that somebody ‘wanted to have his babies’. He also received a fair amount of dick-pics. Those always made him laugh, occasionally entertaining the idea of sending one of the many he had on his phone back. He always decided against it. Then sometimes there were ones that stood out against the others, possible wrong numbers or idle chit-chat from some of his friends. 

 

_[So, what is the deal with Musicals anyways? Like, are those people sick or something?]_

The odd little quip made him snicker. Normally he just ignored random texts that didn’t have a name on them, but this one was too good to pass up on. 

[Don’t know. Figured it was always a hive mind kind of thing.]

Smirking to himself the man stood and slid his phone into his pocket and strolled out of his dressing room. He waved to people was he walked down the halls and occasionally asked how a few people where. David prided himself on being the kind of boss that knew his employees, at least the permanent ones. 

His phone chirped just as he was getting to his car.

_[That would make sense. Explains how they all know the words and don’t crash in to each other.]_

_[I don’t know about you but I couldn’t do it.]_

David snorted, rolling his eyes before gracefully getting into his car. 

[I’ve got a few moves.]

[Who is this?]

Starting up his car David put the phone down in its special holder and switched it over to the music player. About halfway through his drive the thing paused a song to quickly notify him that he had a new message before going back to the classic rock number that was playing. 

He was tempted to check it but David knew that would be way too irresponsible, that and Vann would skin him alive if he crashed his car. He could wait until he got home.

The drive from the studio to his home was simple, their headquarters was on the other side of Newport in the more industrial part where all the warehouses stood. From there he just worked his way along the outskirts of the city and made his way to the coast, rolling along until he pulled up before a largewrought iron fence. All in all it was only about a half hour drive from end to end, and for most of it the scenery was great. 

Clicking his remote to open the gate David slid his vehicle passed easily and slowly drove down the court, parking his car in the driveway. The man grabbed his phone before sliding out, whistling a tune as he opened his texts and walked up his walkway. The door was unlocked and David just walked on in, pocketing his keys. 

_[This is Corey.]_

_[Corey Olsen.]_

_[That weird kid without any friends?]_

The timestamp on all three were within seconds of each other, poor kid must have been nervous. The thought made David chuckle before responding. 

[Alright, Corey Olsen: Boy of No Friends, what has you pondering upon the horror that are Musicals?]

David waltzed through the living room to the kitchen, snagging a banana before returning to his den and flopping down in his recliner. Flicking on the television the man set it to some random sports channel while he waited for a response. 

_[It’s for class.]_

_[Also, Hi. ;3]_

Laughing to himself the man shook his head and smiled. 

[Hi.]

[What class do they make you suffer through Musicals for?]

The incoming text informed him that Corey was taking a ‘Film Appreciation’ course, hoping that it was an easy class, but it turned out to be more demanding than he’d expected. David jokingly suggested that the teen review on of his studios pieces for his next paper but was rebuffed. Corey claimed that he wasn’t going to write _that_ kind of paper for a fifty plus year old woman to read. The older man informed him that Steel Studios did indeed produce reputable films, possibly even a musical or two. 

The radio silence was expected but funny none the less. 


	3. Finally Frazzled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter ~~un~~ edited.  
> Any and all mistakes are my own and I will go back when I have time to catch them.

Finals were coming. Perhaps to some that wasn’t all that daunting, in fact Corey knew a bookworm or two that even awaited them with anticipation. Of course finals also meant that the school year was almost over, one more and he would be done with it forever. Jim and the others chatted about hot parties and an even hotter summer season before going away to college. Corey just worried about getting high enough scores that he could squeeze through and earn the title of senior next year. Some of the others would jostle him and tease as he sat at the table with them all and tried to study, fit in some last minute cramming. They just didn’t understand. 

 

Finals.

 

Were.

 

Coming. 

 

The teen was crouched over the Biology book in front of him, tugging at his hair with one hand and using the other the restlessly tap a bright green highlighter against the table top. Biology would be his first final and the one he dreaded nearly as much as he did the one for algebra. He’d already passed Geometry last year, so he had filled all his essential math requirements for graduation but NAF liked seeing at least Advanced Algebra on a transcript. Corey was hoping that he could pass it this year and just get it out of the way, though given his test scores that seemed unlikely. 

 

A sharp buzz in his pocket notified the teen that he had a message, though the sensation had startled Corey into accidentally launching the cap of his pen, the lime green projectile shooting off to lands unknown. Pulling out the small square out of his pocket after releasing an under-breath swear, Corey flipped up the worn down front screen and opened the message. 

 

_[How good do you think those things spit?]_

 

There was a picture attached of a man that Corey recognized as one of David’s co-workers, Darren, who was apparently trying to stare down a llama. It didn’t look like it was working, considering the brown animal’s ears were tilted back in true disgruntled fashion. 

 

Corey snickered and shot his own message back. 

 

[Probably just about as well as he does.] 

 

The act of the two of them texting had become a fairly common occurrence, despite David claiming that he was often busy. There wasn’t ever any rhyme or reason that gave away any sort of schedule, one of them would simply start off a random message to the other and they would often chat for hours from there. 

 

_[Cheeky.]_

_[Though not inaccurate.]_

 

Grinning slightly the blond tapped out another message.

 

[So what are you doing on a farm anyways?]

 

The text shot off to cyberspace just seconds before Jim slid up next to Corey, proffering his lost cap.

 

“Who’s got you all smiley?” Jim asked. The way he was tilted the brunette was using his larger frame to box the other teen in. 

 

“It’s just David.” Corey smoothy replied as he accepted the pen top and clicking it into place. 

 

They had discussed David before, Corey had to reveal his new ‘friend’ when Jim had caught him texting back and forth during a movie that he and Corey were supposed to be watching together. He hadn’t been all that happy but grouchily let it go after a short while. 

 

“Ah,” Jim ran his tongue over his teeth bitterly making mild a noise of displeasure. “And what is the ever so great ‘David’ up to?” 

 

“Don’t know,” Corey shrugged. “He’s on a farm for some reason.” 

 

_[Darren had a shoot today, cowboy themed._

_Decided to do it an authentic set.]_

 

Corey hadn’t revealed to Jim who David was in full, all the other knew was that he was older and was a friend. That and he seemed to pop up frequently and tended to be doing odd things. Corey on the other hand had gathered that David was often involved in his co-worker’s shoots so he was commonly on site, which led him to be all over Newport. 

 

[Save a horse?]

 

Corey slid his phone away, not really comfortable texting David with Jim looming over him. Those were two parts of his life that he would gladly keep separate. 

 

“So, Harlan’s having a party this weekend,” Jim casually stated, leaning casually against the table. “His folks are going to be out of town, so it’s going to be a total bender.” 

 

“Sounds fun.” Corey lifted a brow, already trying to focus on his textbook. 

 

“You’ve missed the last few, babe,” Jim ran a hand over the other teen’s arm. “You should probably try to make this one.” 

 

“Maybe,” Corey lifted his green eyes and met brown. “I really need to start studying for finals.”

 

“Corey, c’mon,” Jim grumbled. “Finals aren’t until the end of next month, if you start getting all bookish now the guys are going to think you’re a total nerd.” 

 

“Jim, I really need to pass this year,” Corey let his sincerity show in his eyes. “I wish I could party with you guys —and I’ll try to get some of this down by Friday— but my grades are bad enough as is. I _can’t_ fail these tests.”

 

Jim snorted with a roll of his eyes. “You’re already a year behind, Core, I don’t really think another one will hurt.” 

 

Corey jarred back, his face scrunching up in hurt. “It might not matter much to you, but I does to me.” 

 

Slamming his book shut the teen stood up and tucked it under arm. Storming around the other Corey stopped as he felt a hand snare around his wrist. 

 

“Babe, promise me you’ll at least think about it?” Jim pleaded. 

 

Corey had seen plenty of that look before, the one Jim used when he was beginning to not get his way or found himself in trouble. It had fooled him for years and continued to fool others easily enough, until Corey learned what to look for. Jim could play other people fairly well, but things seemed to never reach his eyes, they always stayed too sharp, too on point. And despite knowing his tells, it didn’t stop Corey from feeling what the other was hoping to evoke. 

 

“Yeah, I’ll think about it.” Corey sighed, hiking his book a little tighter and nodded. The answer was enough to please Jim into letting him go and with it the teen took his leave. 

 

As lunch came to a close Corey dropped off his Biology book and picked up the one he’d need for his next class. Plunking himself down in his seat he emboldened himself for another hour and a half session of Algebra. Remembering that he felt his phone buzz earlier he pulled out the device and checked. 

 

_[Something like that, sure. ;-) ]_

 

The fact that a man nearly ten years his senior used emoji made Corey laugh, perhaps a little too loud considering the glare his teacher gave him. Bunkering lower in his seat he felt his face heat up as he moved to hide his phone from view. 

 

[Look forward to seeing it.] 

 

It had taken a little bit of time at first, getting used to talking to David about the various shoots and films he had made. The man never said anything about how technically Corey wasn’t _supposed_ to be seeing those kinds of movies yet, he probably figured that both realized it was a moot point. He and David did talk about other things too; the man updated him frequently on the fish in his aquarium —he had just gotten a pair of[ Squarespot Anthias](http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp198/AlohaCorals/PIA/19JUN13/13JUN13_SquarespotPair_GVB3_425i35i_001.jpg) and they were doing swimmingly (Because, dear lord, the man also did puns)— David also just seemed to like to chat about anything and everything; Corey discovered that a local deli market sold champagne in a can, David told him a few days later that it tasted like monkey piss; David notified that he was going to be an uncle via one of his younger sisters, Corey found him a hideous tie that said ‘World’s Best Hunkle’. It was an odd friendship, but neither of them seemed to want anything different. 

 

“Mr. Olsen, if you would kindly put the phone away?” The woman at the head of the class reprimanded quickly. 

 

Blushing lightly at being caught the teen slid his cell back into his pocket and pulled his book closer. 

 

Only a month more of this and he’d be free for a little while. 

 

School always let out with an almost anticlimactic feeling, the final bell rang and they all just exited the building in a giant mass that quickly dissipated. Sometimes Jim gave Corey a ride to or from school but more often than not the teen himself walked the seven blocks to his brother’s house. Jr. hadn’t moved far from home, to be honest, the older Olsen rented a single story flat just a few blocks from the family home located on First Street. He still visited their parents from time to time, often actually, but Corey hadn’t been back there in nearly a year now. 

 

Using his key to unlock the front door Corey let himself in and relocked it behind him. It was just about four so his brother wouldn’t be back for a good hour or so. Third was still a nice place, but was getting to be the point where you didn’t really leave your doors unlocked. Crime was low in Newport, but not _that_ low. 

 

Heading to the side room that he was staying in, Corey tossed down his book bag and flopped back down on the futon that was his new bed. Originally this room had been Jr.’s office of sorts and was still generally set up like one, all of Corey’s things basically lived in a few extra drawers and a duffle bag. It was moments like this that the teen missed having an aquarium in his room, the sound of rolling water and bubbles was soothing. Now he was left with a sterile silence that was only ever broken by the odd sounds of the city, the kind that got to you slowly as it seeped in around you. 

 

Sitting up Corey decided to wander into the kitchen and see if there was any sort of plan for dinner. It was always a bit of a toss up of who was cooking that day or if it would be take out. Both Jr. and Corey had basic culinary skills, not really skilled enough to make much but enough to get by on —a bachelor’s diet— and Leena was only slightly better. Not seeing much in the refrigerator, Corey shut the door and looked out the kitchen window. Landscaping was yet another thing the three of them weren’t spectacular at, the grass stayed mowed and the weeds plucked but anything past that was left to nature’s design. 

 

Mulling some ideas in his head the teen sat down at the small table tucked into the corner and started to compile a list. They would need groceries, at the very least fresh milk. That stuff was getting ready to walk away on its own here soon. 

 

Corey was wrapping that up as the door jingled and Jr. came easing through. His brother looked similar to him, had the same blond hair that he kept much shorter, a dimpled chin, mild freckles. Their biggest difference was that Jr. had dark brown eyes and was overall bigger. Corey’s mother always said that the Olsen boys were late bloomers. Corey somewhat doubted that, as he was fairly short and months away from being eighteen, a sudden growth spurt would be a surprise. Then again, Jr. himself was just scraping six foot, he just looked bigger because of his broad shoulders that filled in due to his work as an electrician. 

 

Corey worked out, was quite active actually, but he still very much had a teenager’s build. Sure he had nice abs and some definition, but it was nothing compared to the adult male body of his brother. Or David, to think of it. 

 

Then again, that man would make even Jr. look small. 

 

Corey conceded to the fact that he would just have to wait and see, Jr. did have a rough six years of advancement over him, so perhaps there was still hope. 

 

“Hey, bro.” Jr. smiled as he walked into the kitchen, the man still sweaty and weary from work. Luckily he had remembered to leave his work boots behind in the front hall. 

 

“Hey,” Green eyes danced up briefly before looking back at his list. “So, I’m making a list for groceries. Anything specific you need?”

 

“Not that I can think of,” Jr. mused, peeking into the fridge but recoiling from the aged dairy. “Uh, definitely milk. 

 

“Top of the list.” Corey chuckled. Tapping his pen a few more times the teen snatched it off the table and tucked into his pocket. “I can probably grab all this at the corner market and be back in time to start on something for dinner.” 

 

Nodding along the older Olsen brother scratched his neck. “About that, Core,” The man nervously mumbled. “You’re going to be on your own for tonight.” 

 

Tilting his head curiously the teen slowly began to nod. “Okay...?” 

 

“Core,” Jr. fiddled with his vest pocket in search of something. “I’m taking Leena out to eat tonight, got a reservation over at The Blue Moon.” 

 

Smiling Corey nodded, giving his brother a sly wink. “Gotcha,” He teased. “I’ll throw in some earplugs tonight.” 

 

Grinning the older brother laughed before pulling the desired object out of his pocket. “Might not be a bad plan,” Revealing a small velvet box in his hand the man sheepishly smiled. “I’m going to ask her to marry me.” 

 

Corey’s eyebrows lifted in astonishment. Leena was a fairly new addition to their lives, she had only moved in a two months ago and they had only begun dating five or so months before that. She was a great gal, but his brother was seriously planning on proposing to her after knowing her seven months? He hadn’t realized it was that serious. 

 

“Wow,” He said softly. “Well, best of luck then.” 

 

“Corey,” Jr. paused, looking a little hurt. “I really love her.” 

 

“Good.” Corey let his face lift with a smile. “I’m happy for you.” 

 

Smiling again Jr. nodded. “Well, I’m going to go grab a shower and change. Our reservations are at six, so we’ll have just enough time for her to get ready when she gets home. Don’t tell her anything.” 

 

“My lips are sealed.” Corey winked, the traditional hand motion already in action. “Like I said, I’m going to go shopping anyways. So I guess I will possibly see you guys in the morning.” The shorter blond walked to the short hallway and watched his brother pick out his clothes. “And, Alden? Congrats.” 

 

The older brother looked over his shoulder, stunned expression melting to a warm smile. “Thanks, Corey.” 

 

With one last nod Corey left the room and quietly exited the house for a second time. The market was just a few blocks away and he used the travel time to reflect on the things happening in his life. Absentmindedly he grabbed a cart when he reached his destination and idly walked down the aisles, gathering the items on his list as he passed. Humming a tune as he went along Corey felt his phone buzz so he paused once he was out of the way and checked his messages. 

 

_[Darren is jealous that I have a texting buddy.]_

_[He won’t say as much, but I can tell he is.]_

 

Corey chuckled, rolling his eyes at the antics men a decade his senior got up to. 

 

[Well, has he ever tried to get one?]

 

Grabbing cereal down off the shelf Corey ignored how much sugar was in the tiny rainbow colored puffs that his brother was adamant about consuming every morning. The teen then grabbed himself a much healthier alternative. 

 

_[And where would he do that?]_

_[Without stalking somebody like a creeper?]_

 

Corey weighed the difference between raspberry and mixed berry pastry strudels before just tossing both into the basket. He’d eat either assuming Leena preferred one over the other. 

 

[You mean like you?]

[J.K.]

[You’re a lovely stalker.]

 

Milk was the last stop on his trip. He wasn’t a big fan of the drink, it made his stomach upset, but Jr. drank it in spades (often right from the jug, which was gross).

 

_[ ▯ ]_

 

Corey stopped and looked at the small rectangle displaying on his phone, confusion growing on his face before realizing what was happening. His phone was old so it didn’t always get all the little pictures and other doodads the newer phones got. 

 

[...Yeah, I don’t get those...]

 

After that his phone was silent up until he was going through check out. Placing the last of his items on the belt Corey pulled out his phone while subtly watching as he was rung up, the cashier was a sweet old lady, but sometimes her shaky hands causing things to scan twice. 

 

_[ (;UnU;) ]_

 

Rolling his eyes again the teen just let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head. 

 

[Are those tears?] 

[Did I hurt your ever so sensitive feelers?]

 

Pulling out his wallet Corey payed with a shared debit card. After the first few months of co-habitation Jr. decided it was just too much of a hassle for him to have to be constantly paying Corey back for things like groceries so he set up a special ‘Food Account’, one that they both had a card to and that funded the house’s nutritional needs. 

 

_[You called me a stalker.]_

 

David’s reply came in just after all of Corey’s things were bagged, luckily it was just three so it wouldn’t be a hassle to drag them all home. 

 

[I said you were lovely.] 

 

The teen defended himself all the way home, playfully texting back and forth with David as if they’d known each other for years. When he got home the house wasn’t dark but Jr.’s car was gone so Corey knew that he had the house all to himself. Letting himself in he walked to the kitchen and began putting things away. 

 

[You know, prison inmates like having pen-pals.]

[Maybe Darren could get one of those if he’s lonely.]

 

_[I’m not letting one of my best friends talk to inmates, Corey.]_

_[ (TnT) ]_

 

[Don’t glare at me! It was just a suggestion.]

 

_[He’ll get over it soon enough.]_

_[His girlfriend is going to be back in town.]_

 

Corey paused, thinking back on all the scenes he’d seen Apollo do. All of them were with men, at least the ones he’d seen.

 

[Girlfriend?]

 

_[Yes?]_

 

Corey snorted and packed the last few items away, making sure to toss the expired milk in a doubled bag directly in the outside trashcan. 

 

[Didn’t realize he’d have one of those.]

 

Returning to his room Corey laid back on his bed, propping himself up to text easily. 

 

_[Because he only does scenes with men?]_

 

[Yeah]

 

_[Do we need to have a conversation about human sexuality?]_

 

Corey immediately blushed, frantically tapping out a message to prevent the no doubt embarrassing rant coming his way. 

 

[No! We’re good.]

[I’m in the know.] 

 

_[Good. =) ]_

_[Darren only shoots with men because his girlfriend doesn’t_

_consider that cheating. He keeps his job and his girl.]_

_[Win/win.]_

 

The teen thought on that, eventually coming to grips with the logic.

 

[So, does he actually like shooting with the other guys then?]

 

_[You could always ask him yourself.]_

 

[Uh, no.] 

 

Corey countered easily, laying on his bed the teen nestled into his pillows and relaxed. It was only a quarter to six and he still had to eat something before doing homework and heading to bed. But for now he was content to text David. 

 

[I already have to mentally babysit one porn star, I don’t 

need another.]

 

_[Rude.]_

_[I might actually give him your number for that.]_

 

Chuckling Corey shrugged. 

 

[Fine, but if he steals your texting buddy then

it’s on your shoulders, bra.]

 

_[Don’t call me ‘Bra’.]_

_[And fine, Darren will have to find his own.]_

 

Amused with himself Corey stood and wandered back into the kitchen. Pulling out a pot and filling it with water he began heating it up for some noodles. 

 

_[So, what are you doing?]_

 

[Not much. Making noodles.]

 

Corey responded, adding butter and seasoning to the mix. He wasn’t a prized chef or anything but he made a mean cup of ramen. 

 

_[Sounds nutritious.]_

 

The teen could practically hear the snark hidden within the man’s message. Rolling his eyes Corey ignored it and kept his attention on his meal. 

 

_[Your brother know you eat junk?]_

 

[I’ll have you know, this ‘junk’ is being made

from scratch]

 

Primly defending his cooking skills Corey spun the phone idly on the counter as he waited for not only the water to boil but also for David to respond. 

 

_[Oh, well ~excuse me~, Mr. Fancy-Pants.]_

 

Snorting at that Corey quickly responded before tending to the now rolling boil in the pot. 

 

[Excused.] 

[But to answer your question: no, he doesn’t.

He took Leena out tonight, he’s proposing.]

 

Stirring the pot gently and tossing in a few more ingredients Corey attended to that as he heard the phone buzz again. Brushing his hands on a towel and checked it after he turned the heat down. 

 

_[Congrats!]_

_[It is a congrats, right?]_

 

Laughing Corey leaned against the counter, watching the pot out of the corner of his eye while he responded. 

 

[It is.]

[It also gives me the house for a few hours.] 

 

_[Guessing tonight is going to be an earplugs_ _night?]_

 

[Oh yeah.]

 

When his timer went off Corey turned off the heat and pulled the pot over to the sink. Pouring out the excess water he then settled the rest into a bowl. Gathering chopsticks from the drawer he returned to his room and pulled a book out of his bag. 

 

_[Wanna chat for a bit?]_

 

Corey rose a brow.

 

[Could have sworn we were?]

 

Settling in at his desk the teen jumped slightly when the vibration of his phone started up a little harder than it normally did. Flipping it open he brought it to his ear. 

 

“Hello?” 

 

“Hey,” David’s warm voice laughed in response. 

 

Corey was stunned, sure he and David texted all the time but this was the first time that the other had ever called him. He’d forgotten just how friendly and welcoming the other man sounded, masculine and deep but smooth with the slight tint of seduction hiding right under the surface. 

 

“Corey?” David’s voice worried. 

 

“Yeah, hey!” The teen winced at how dorky that sounded. “Sorry, wasn’t expecting you to actually call.”

 

“I can hang up if I’m making you uncomfortable.” The man offered, voice full of accommodation. 

 

“No, it’s actually kind of nice to hear your voice.” Corey answered honestly before regretting it shortly after. 

 

The mild laugh he got in return made him feel better, David was a godsend, he didn’t want to scare him off. 

 

“It’s good to hear from you too, Corey.” David rumbled lowly. In the back ground there was the sound of the ocean, sea birds crying somewhere in the distance. 

 

“So,” The teen swallowed past the lump in his throat, stubbornly looking down at the algebra book he grabbed. “What are you up to?” 

 

“Lounging around on the beach, sipping a drink, and watching the waves. You?” David replied, the sound of clinking ice in a glass must have been an unseeable toast. 

 

“Ugh,” Corey groaned. “Homework...”

 

“I can let you go if I’m distracting you.” David once again offered. “School work comes first.”

 

“No, it’s fine.” The teen sighed. “I just really hate math. Like _really_ hate it.” 

 

The man’s laugh coming through was more comforting than insulting. “Math isn’t so bad.” 

 

“Says the man who earns his money making adult films.” Corey groused, scribbling down problems on paper. He’d stare at them for a little bit before stuffing them away and moving onto a different subject. 

 

“I’ll have you know, I do have a degree in Accounting.” David snorted, humming slightly at something. 

 

“Of course you do.” Corey commented bitterly, rolling his eyes. One of the problems he could actually do, penning in the work as he went along. 

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” David countered, sounding mildly offended.

 

“It’s just not fair that you get to look the way you do _and_ be smart,” Corey paused, tapping his pen against the desk. “Gotta leave some of that good fortune for the rest of us.” 

 

The man on the other end snorted, judging by the sounds shifting in his seat as well. “Corey, it’s not all about how good looking or smart a person is. Once you get to the real world, most of that doesn't even matter anymore. You find your place and you work from there. Besides, you happen to be a damn good looking kid yourself.” 

 

Blushing slightly Corey put his pen down. Smiling to himself he let that last bit roll over him. David though he was good looking. 

 

“Okay, but my 'right now' kind of relies on my ability to pass finals next month.” Corey eventually replied with a miserable sigh.

 

“What math you taking?” 

 

“Uh, Advance Algebra.” Corey frowned lightly, curious as to where David was going with this. 

 

“Okay, so where are you having problems with it?” The man pursued. “It’s been a while since I cracked open a textbook but I bet I could help you through most of it.” 

 

“You don’t need to do that...” Corey blushed, mildly ashamed that he needed help even if it was from a friend. 

 

“No, but I want to.” David stubbornly put. “I know where you live; don’t make me come over there and sit on you, just so you'll let me tutor you.”

 

Heat rushed to his ears as Corey’s mind ran rampant with that sentence. Shaking it off he brushed a hand over his hair. 

 

“Okay, okay...So, I have a hard time memorizing all the formulas. It just doesn’t stick,” Corey explained. “Like, if I see it I can sometimes fumble my way through it but if the worksheet just says to solve using whatever I’m lost.” 

 

A soft chuckled came down from the line, soothing out the frantic thoughts that were begging to worm their way through Corey’s brain. 

 

“Okay, we can work on that.” David confirmed. “What else do you need to get done tonight?”

 

“Um,” Corey quickly referred to his scheduling notebook. “Nothing, just math.” 

 

“Alright,” The sounds of things shifting and eventually footsteps on hard stone came across. “Tell you what, stay on the line and read the problems out to me. We can work on them together and when you hit a snag I’ll do my best to walk you through it.”

 

“Seriously?” The teen timidly smiled, stress easing out of his shoulders. “You’d do that?” 

 

“Sure.” David calmly stated. “Been a while since I got to flex my brain muscle. Besides, I’m pretty adamant about helping a friend in need.” 

 

Smile broadening, Corey agreed. When prompted he read off the problems he couldn’t do and David mumbled to himself briefly before responding. That way the two worked together for the next few hours, Corey doing his best to not fall to irritation and David calm as ever just guiding him through it all with ease. The sun had set before they were done, but just as Corey scribbled down his final answer his phone beeped that its battery was low. 

 

“That all of them?” David kindly asked, his voice just barely hiding the smugness of a job well done. 

 

“Yeah.” Corey confirmed, looking own at the full three sheets of paper in astonishment. This would be the first full assignment he’d be able to turn in all year. 

 

“Good job.” Warmth filled David’s voice this time, sincere and honest. 

 

“Thanks,” The teen sighed, slouching in his chair. “Really, you’re a life saver.” 

 

“Well, I don’t have a Lifeguard certificate for nothing.” The man chuckled. 

 

“Really?” 

 

“Yeah,” David replied. “Since high school, kept it updated. Never know, right?” 

 

“Right.” Corey let a smile come back to his face. 

 

He loved finding out all these new things about David. They made him more than an man on his screen and into a human being. A really, really great human being. Corey knew that he was developing a bit of a crush on the older man, more than just the physical attraction he had in surplus. The daydream was threatening to pull him away when his phone beeped again. 

 

“Hey, my phone is going to die on me...” Corey explained sadly. “But I really mean it, David, thank you for wasting your time helping me with this.” 

 

“It wasn’t a waste, Core,” David softly rumbled. “And you’re welcome, any time.” 

 

“‘Night, David.” The teen yawned, wishing he could talk for just a little longer. 

 

“Good night, Corey, sleep well.” David replied, a friendly chuckled lacing his tone. 

 

The call ended on his side shortly after, a soft click ending their connection. Corey stopped and looked at the aged piece of technology in his hand, warm from the being pressed to his ear and for running so long. David had just spent the better part of three hours helping him through his homework, easy as if he hadn’t a better thing in the world to do. The thought warmed Corey up inside and lifted a mild tilt to his mouth. Plugging the device in so it could charge overnight the teen slipped out of his clothes and into bed. Tomorrow would bring a new day and he felt just a little bit braver about facing it now. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, nice long chapter to make up for the short one last week. Hopefully I'll be able to maintain chapters about this size. 
> 
> I will do my best to now update 'Steel Studios' on Mondays, 'Over the Barrel' will update this Friday and will hopefully continue to do so. 
> 
> Also, if anybody was reading it there, I decided to delete my Wattpadd account. I decided that I liked the posting format here a lot better as well as the tagging/search system. So sorry about that. 
> 
> No other news, and I hope to see you all next week!


	4. New News and Old Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter ~~un~~ edited.
> 
> Also, as a minor Content Warning, during a discussion between Corey and Jim the latter makes a brief jokingly references to unwanted sexual actions. I don't generally use Trigger or Content Warnings, but I will throw one out here as there are those who are seriously bothered by this. Should you wish to avoid it, simply skip the conversation right after they greet each other and until they reach the school.

Wednesdays were worse than Mondays in Corey’s mind. Wednesday ranked lower on his list of preferred days because it was the middle of the week, the lull not close to the end or the beginning but directly in between.Thursdays were great because they were right before Friday, so close to freedom yet so far. And at least on Monday he got to feel fresh and revitalized for a new week, Tuesdays were just a fact a life. But for Wednesday he just felt _bleh_. 

 

Luckily school seemed fit to zip right on by, only pausing briefly for lunch and then continuing to disappear to the archives of time. Jim had pestered him throughout Corey’s passing periods, the other teen relentlessly prodding and pleading for his attention and promises. So far Corey wasn’t completely confident in his studying, though after his session with David last night he was significantly more sure when it came to math. The warm feelings that sat in his chest just thinking about the man kept a mild smile on Corey’s face all throughout the day. 

 

The teen was surprised when he got home and his brother’s car was sitting in the driveway, normally Jr. wasn’t back until much later. Casting the aging sedan a curious glance Corey let himself into the house, calling out as he shimmied out of his shoes. 

 

****“Hey!” Jr.’s voice carried from his room, rushed footsteps coming from that direction as Corey walked further into the house. “Corey!”

 

“Yeah...That’s me...” Corey scrunched his brow, mildly wondering if his brother hit his head on the job or something.

 

“Corey, I’ve got some great news, man.” Jr. appeared at the beginning of the hall, face lighting up with unhidden glee. 

 

“I’m guessing last night went well?” Corey teased, heading into the kitchen and grabbing himself a soft drink. 

 

“Yeah.” Jr.’s face adopted a dopey smile. “A lot better than I thought it would too.” 

 

“Oh?” The younger Olsen brother leaned against the wall, tilting his head in question. 

 

“C’mon, you gotta sit for this.” Jr. all but dragged his younger brother to the couch and plopped down himself, more excited than Corey had seen him in years. 

 

The teen laughed and shook his head. “Okay, come on, spit it out!” 

 

“We’re expecting!” Jr. burst out. 

 

“What?” Corey was stunned, the term wasn’t lost on him he just wasn’t sure that Jr. meant what he was saying. 

 

“Leena told me last night,” The older brother explained. “She didn’t want to say anything until she was really sure. After I proposed Leena told me!” 

 

“Wow,” Corey blinked a few times but felt his grin widening. “Dude, that’s huge! How far along is she?” 

 

“I know!” Jr. crowed. “I mean, I’m going to be a dad! We weren’t even trying but we’re going to have a baby!” The man was near vibrating with pent up energy. “Leena said that she’s just started her second trimester. I’ve missed some stuff because she’s been going to the doctors in secret, but she wanted to be sure and safe before she told anyone.” 

 

Corey leaned back into the couch, hand running through his hair. “Dude...A _baby_.” 

 

“Yep.” Jr. grinned. 

 

Laughing the younger brother just shook his head. “I can’t believe it.” 

 

“I know.” His brother replied, looking just as stunned. 

 

The two sat on the couch together, both letting their minds run away with rampant thoughts and ideas. Corey was elated for his brother, and for Leena, he’d never thought about it before, that they would be having a baby this soon. But now it was here. Then a thought hit him. 

 

“So, what about a nursery?” Corey asked. 

 

Jr. paused for a moment, his smile fading a little. “About that...” 

 

Corey sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I kind of figured.” Chuckling he just shrugged and looked back at his brother. 

 

“Corey, this house is a really great deal and Leena doesn’t want to add the stress of moving on top of the pregnancy.” The older Olsen rapidly explained. “We talked a little bit about it last night, and well, maybe it’s time that you move back in with the folks?”

 

Corey looked down, frowning a little. He didn’t hold anything against Jr. or Leena, but he had to recognize that this threw a wrench in his plans. “I can’t, Alden, you know that.” 

 

Sighing Jr. nodded. “Maybe after all this time it has cooled off. Mom’s always saying how much she misses you.” 

 

“Yet she never calls.” The teen cut, standing abruptly. “I’m not that hard to find, Jr. If they cared they would have said something by now.” 

 

“Corey, they care...” The other tried to defend.

 

“Jr. they tried to cut me out of Opa's will.” Corey snapped out bitterly. “He’s the only reason I even have any sort of health insurance or anything!” 

 

“I’d cover you if I could...” Jr. rumbled. “And the whole will thing wasn’t both of them, just dad. And he was really mad then, maybe he’s over it.” 

 

“I doubt it.” Corey mumbled, shaking his head. “Look, I don’t want to argue over this.” Turning to look his older brother in the face Corey pulled on a small smile. “So, the baby, got any plans for them?” 

 

Jr. accepted the change of subject easily, smiling softly. Corey knew his brother well enough to see the guilt hidden behind his eyes. “Leena wants to paint the nursery yellow, gender neutral ya know? She found this really cute set of safari animal stickers to put on the walls.” 

 

“You can’t paint a rental, Jr., you know that.” Corey playfully scolded with a chuckle. 

 

“Uh, actually, we’re planning on buying the place,” Jr. announced. “Our Landlady, Mrs. Cappard, she’s getting up there in years and is thinking of retiring, so...”

 

Grinning Corey nodded. “Well then, sounds like maybe tonight would be a good one for a celebration.”

 

Joining the other in an impetuous smile Jr. nodded. “Oh most indubitably.” 

 

That night Corey was reminded how much of a party boy his brother used to be, the man drinking himself completely stupid while he and Leena calmly watched on, sipping away at non-alcoholic mudslides. Jr. managed to make an utter fool of himself by the time the night was over, the drunken man being put to bed thanks to the efforts of his pregnant fiancé and little brother. 

 

In the morning Jr. harbored a brain splitting headache which he groaned about the entire time Corey spent getting ready for school. The three of them had come to a few agreements last night and the teen felt a little more comfortable now that the floor wasn’t being pulled out from under him. A text from Jim came in while he was in the shower informing Corey that he’d have a ride to school. 

 

Jim’s car wasn’t anything amazing, a more than few years old but reliable, Corey had always admired the cherry red paint that always shined like it was freshly waxed. For all he knew his ex had the time to do so, the upkeep of cars on the coast could be tricky due to the salty sea air. It ate away at the paint of houses too. 

 

“Hey, Core.” The brunet winked as Corey climbed into the convertible, today the tan top was down. 

 

“Hey, Jim.” He replied, giving the other a warm smile. Corey still liked Jim, he didn’t love him anymore but he did care about the other boy. He sometimes mused that had they just met later in life they would have possibly been solid for years. 

 

“So, you mentioned you got news?” Jim queried, shifting the car into motion and driving away. “Is it about Harlan’s party?” 

 

“No,” Corey snorted as he rolled his eyes. “I’m going to be an uncle.” 

 

“Really?” The other teen frowned, face crumpling like he swallowed something sour. “The breeders finally did it, huh?” 

 

“Or you could be excited for us, that works too,” Corey responded flatly. “But yeah, Leena’s pregnant.” 

 

Jim huffed, grunting his displeasure. “So, where’s that leave you?” 

 

“What do you mean?” Corey tilted his head.

 

“Well, two young parents, a baby, and a teenager,” The brunet shrugged as they pulled up to a stop. “Doesn’t really scream picket fences.” 

 

“We chatted about that actually,” Corey sighed. “Jr. wants me to talk with my folks about moving back in with them. But that’s not going to happen, so I’m going to be looking for work and seeing if I can find an apartment or something.” 

 

“Why not move in with me?” Jim cast him a soft look. “My parents got the room, and they always loved you to pieces.” 

 

“Thanks, Jim, but I don’t think that would be the best idea.” Corey shook his head.

 

“Why not?” The other frowned. 

 

“Seriously?” A blond brow rose as Corey scoffed. “Dude, you hardly keep your hands to yourself at school, what makes you think that me being at yours is going to be any better?” 

 

“Calm down, dude,” Jim soothed. “It’s not like I’m going to rape you or anything. It would just be like a prolonged sleepover. And should benefits come out of it, I won’t complain.” 

 

Rolling his eyes Corey huffed and looked out the passenger window. “I’m _not_ moving in with you Jim.” 

 

“Fine,” Letting out an exasperated sigh Jim relented. “But the offer’s open.” 

 

Leaving it at that the two teens stayed in silence as they approached the campus. The two of them had fairly different schedules, so they parted ways but not before Jim leaned over and left a mild kiss on Corey’s cheek. With an eye roll he let it happen before reporting to his first class of the day. 

 

In his classes Corey’s teachers droned on, even they looking bored as they lectured. Homework was assigned with little expectation of it getting any better than half-assedly done on Monday morning. And eventually lunch rolled around. Corey walked through the line and grabbed a mixed fruit salad (School stroganoff was never a wise option) before sitting down with the others. They were all chatting about Harlan’s party that weekend.

 

“Hey, Corey, you going to be able to make this one?” Harlan himself asked.

 

“Possibly,” Corey glanced up. “I’m trying to set up for finals, but I could maybe spare an hour or two.” 

 

“Dude, why not just take a day?” Another friend asked. 

 

“Yeah, Jim said he’d bring some booze so it’ll be a lot of fun.” Harlan bribed. 

 

“Maybe.” Corey nodded. “I’ll have to check with my brother.” 

 

“Jr. is totally cool, he’ll say yes.” Harlan’s girlfriend piped in. 

 

“Even if the guy is tossing Corey here out on his ear.” Jim sauntered up to the table and squeezed in next to Corey. 

 

“He’s not kicking me out,” Corey groused. “I’m relocating to make room for the baby.” 

 

At the mention of a soon to be child the girls at the table squealed and all began asking rapid fire questions, most of which Corey had no answer to. From there the table discussion dissolved into them all chatting among themselves about wanting children or their future dreams and plans. Their respective boyfriends shot Corey venomous looks the entire time.  Lunch ended on the awkward note when Amy, a girl who was friends of a girlfriend that was new to the group, exclaimed that she used to have the biggest crush on Jr. when she was a freshman and the older Olsen brother still gave Corey rides to school. 

 

The school day came to a close as rapidly as it began and soon Corey was sitting in Jim’s car, hood down and wind blowing in his hair. Jim smiled as he sang along to some trashy pop song going on about butts or something, Corey simply rolled his eyes at the other boy’s antics but let a soft smile sit on his face. He knew that Jim was taking the long way back to Corey’s, but he didn’t mind, Jim was unbearable sometimes but others he was just another guy. They had been friends for years, since the fifth grade, and Corey liked slipping back into the easy camaraderie they shared. 

 

“So, what’re you up to?” Jim casually asked as he pulled into Corey’s driveway.

 

“Still got some homework,” Corey recalled out loud. “And Leena wants to go shopping later for some nursery ideas.” 

 

“Dude...” Jim whined, dragging on the word longer than necessary. 

 

“What?” Corey rolled his eyes and looked over at his friend. 

 

“You’re totally whipped, and you’re not even getting anything out of it!” Jim laughed. 

 

“Yeah, except a roof over my head.” The blond countered opening the door to the car and leaning out. “I’ll catch you tomorrow?” 

 

“I got something in the morning, but yeah,” Jim smiled back softly. “We’ll chat at lunch about what you plan on wearing to Harlan’s on Saturday.” 

 

Letting out a put upon sigh Corey nodded along. “Okay.” 

 

“See ya later, babe.” Jim winked, ignoring Corey slamming his car door shut. 

 

Corey watched his ex drive off before going to his house and letting himself in. 

 

That evening was relatively uneventful, besides Corey learning the fact that shopping with women —even for just ideas— could be and was a truly terrifying experience. Jr. had laughed when they got home, Leena still ranting and raving about one lady who had glared at them for looking at ‘her’ crib. Jr. had the honor of being dragged out tomorrow night for clothes shopping. Corey may or may not have laughed at the soured face his brother pulled after that announcement. 

 

Ducking into his room Corey sighed as he shut the door behind him. Jr. and Leena were cuddled up on the couch watching some sitcom that they both adored. Corey was welcome to join them but he preferred to give the couple their space, so instead he walked over to the laptop sitting on his desk and pried it open.

 

The machine was old, Jr.’s from when he was still in college, but his brother loaned it to him. Before the thing was just used for taxes or other minor administrative duties, now it was what Corey spent a decent amount of time on. Scrolling through his social media sites and finding nothing of interest Corey went back to the stock browser, typing in his queries. 

 

[David Acciaio]

 

The search took only a few seconds before lists of articles and results popped up. Interestingly enough the Steel Studios page also appeared rather high on the list. Clicking on the link Corey found himself on the standard website, the one dedicated to the more reputable side of the company. There were more articles there about upcoming films and premiers, a truly nice picture of David was used on one of the articles, a beautiful dark haired woman on his arm. 

 

That made Corey pause. 

 

He had never spoken with David about the older man’s sexuality, he had just assumed that the man was gay. Then again, he assumed the same thing about Darren and was wrong. Clicking away from the studio’s website Corey rooted around a little more. 

 

[David Acciaio Walks in SF PRIDE]

 

Curious the teen clicked the link and was led to a news page. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

> _“David Acciaio, appearing above alongside several other Steel Studios actors, caused a familiar uproar this year at San Francisco PRIDE. The man has been a sensation for several years now, appearing online as Magnum Steel. The Adult Actor has always been outspoken for equal rights but this is the first time that he has ever appeared in person to a PRIDE event. The main member of the Steel Studios Stable, Mr. Acciaio has also spoken very publicly about the importance of other adult studios regularly testing their actors for STD’s as well as refusing to shoot scenes unprotected.”_

 

The pictures floating around the article showed David in just black leather shorts that were possibly a little too small and heavy black army boots. He had sunglasses on his face but was otherwise smiling and waving to the crowds. Corey also recognized Darren and Neal marching in similar gear. All three of them had the studio insignia imprinted in between their shoulder blades and had some sort of message scribed over it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

> _“Last year David appeared with his co-star, Peter Hanson (a.k.a. Parker Mann), in an interview with us covering the treatment that they and others have received over the years as their occupations as adult actors have become more widely know. Both actors had some very thoughtful and brave words on the matter. When asked what the soon to be twenty six actor planned what he was to do with the rest of his life, Mr. Acciaio had simply laughed and promised that we would continue to see plenty of him for years to come.”_

 

Corey mentally made a note to himself to see if he could find footage of that interview before continuing to the end of the article. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

> _“It was great to see out golden-hearted man of steel once again out among his fans. We managed to speak to him briefly before he had to run off and he was able to give us a hint that he would also be appearing at a fundraiser for HIV/AIDS awareness next month. Acciaio is a known supporter of the cause and donates sizable contributions each year to multiple HIV/AIDS relief charities.”_

 

The article rambled on for another paragraph giving information pertaining to centers where one could also donate or go to learn more. Corey clicked back to his earlier results, letting what he just learned sink in. He had quickly gathered that David was a great guy, but he occasionally still managed to surprise him. Browsing other articles Corey found a few other pieces of interest and numerous fan sites. One was completely dedicated to the various phone numbers David seemed to have, listing them as either current or outdated. The rate at which fans followed the man border-lined on stalking, but Corey figured that was why he lived behind a gate with a posted guard. 

 

Corey sifted through a few more sites before clicking over to images, which without any sort of content filter lead to the teen seen damn near every possible angle and inch of the man. The teen unabashedly ogled a fair number of them before the tension in his pants made him uncomfortable enough to exit out of the browser. A year ago Corey might have done more about his 'situation' but after a number of embarrassing interactions the teen learned to be fully alone in the house before engaging in any sort of ‘alone time’.

 

And if Corey had any inappropriate dreams about his newest friend, then nobody but him and his sheets had to know. 

 

The teen woke the next morning to a text on his phone from David. 

 

[Okay, so, this is kind of adorable.]

 

Attached was a picture of Neal, face down on somebody else’s —admittedly, ridiculously nice— stomach. The red-head was passed out with his arms wrapped around the other man as if he were a pillow, drooling on his unaware victim. 

 

[Agreed.] Corey drowsily typed back, staggering to his feet and going about his morningly schedule. 

 

He didn’t hear again from David at all that day, unfortunately. Corey was kind of hoping to get an explanation on why the strait-as-an-arrow ginger was cuddling up to another dude. 

 

Not that he judged. 

 

Or saved the picture as his new background or anything. 

 

Jim showed up at lunch, as promised, wearing a new pair of fancy sunglasses and brandishing bags. Corey got a bad feeling about it as soon as the other had stepped into the cafeteria with a yelled greeting. 

 

As it turned out Jim had done him the solid of purchasing some new clothes and left him with instruction on what to wear the next day. Corey stuffed them in the locker and went to class, grumbling all the way under his breath. 

 

He was aware that his current clothes were old. He was aware that they weren’t ‘in’ or ‘fashionable’. But Corey refused to spend money that wasn’t his on clothes he didn’t need and the subtle statement that what he had wasn’t good enough ate at him. 

 

And pissed him off. 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Neal groaned as he woke up, the red-head disoriented as he tried to sit himself up from where he laid. David awoke when he heard the other and watched with sleep heavy eyes as the realizations set it. 

 

First the man seemed confused. Then stunned. Then freaked out. 

 

Last night he and the four others had gone out drinking in honor of Neal’s twenty fourth birthday. While most of them had only gotten mildly buzzed, the birthday boy in question had gotten completely hammered. The fact that he hadn’t thrown up was a bit of a surprise. The fact that he drunkenly clung to Reidar like a limpet was more so. The boy was about as bent as a ruler, yet he decided that being tucked into his Norwegian co-worker’s side was _the_ place to be. Reidar didn’t seem to mind, not even when he ended up as a pillow and drool sponge. 

 

The five of them were all close, an inevitability when you see each other’s junk as often as they did, but they also kept their boundaries. David and Reidar were both fairly exclusive in their choice of male companions, Darren and Peter were equal opportunists, and Neal only spent his time with the fairer sex. Those were limits that they all respected and understood. 

 

So, when Neal woke and realized that the soft but firm pillow he’d been resting on was the stone hard abdominals of his friend Reidar, he began to react. The blond beneath him reacted just as quickly, reaching out and soothing him back down with soft murmured words that none of them understood. 

 

When green eyes cut over to David as he chuckled the dark haired man simply held up his hands in innocence. 

 

“Don’t look at me, you claimed that spot last night and wouldn’t give it up to nobody.” 

 

Rumbling low chuckles filled the air like thunder, Reidar running a large hand up and down one of Neal’s arms fondly. 

 

“Is true, friend, I believe you even tried to bite poor Peter when he attempted to move you.” 

 

“There was no ‘attempt’,” David laughed. “You _did_ bite him.” 

 

“Reidar, let me up.” Neal groused, ruffling himself when his friend obliged. 

 

Standing the red-head was the shortest of the five Steel Studios men, at a half inch shy of six feet he made up for it by appearing the widest. He was stockier than the others, having been a rugby player in high school and after. Women liked his vibrant hair and freckles that dappled across pale skin.  

 

Adjusting his clothes Neal brushed himself off and looked down at the bare chest of his previous bed (or couch as it were) partner. David chuckled again, shaking his head and standing.

 

“I’ll go make a pot of coffee.” 

 

“Are Peter and Darren still around?” Reidar asked from his spot. 

 

“No,” David spoke, watching the other two from beyond the short wall in the kitchen. “I think they went back to Darren’s, he was supposed to pick up Angela sometime today.” 

 

“Or, you know, are totally shagging.” Reidar chuckled as he too stood. 

 

David laughed along and shrugged. It was no hidden secret that those two had something going on. 

 

“So, nothing too embarrassing happened last night?” Neal wearily asked. “Right?” 

 

“Like what?” David rose a brow, snorting at the question.

 

“I don’t know...” Neal shrugged. “Like, I didn’t blow anybody or anything, did I?” 

 

“Hmm,” David thought on it for a moment. “Well I can’t speak for the two that aren’t here, but I don’t got any teeth marks on my dick. You, Reid?” 

 

The towering blond dramatically pulled back the elastic on his shorts and glanced down. “Nope.” 

 

Neal looked in shock at his two friends but David just laughed it off. “I think you’re good, Neal.” 

 

Blushing the man looked down, frumpishly sitting himself at the kitchen table. 

 

“You did slobber all over Reidar’s gut though...” David muttered, cup of joe wrapped in his hands. 

 

“Aye.” The blond in question nodded, scratching away at the dried, flakey evidence. 

 

Neal groaned as the other two laughed. 

 

“Did make for a good picture though.” The dark haired man mused. 

 

Neal’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t.” 

 

David simply nodded with a careless shrug. 

 

Groaning the red-head thunked his head down on the table and muttered curses at them both. 

 

“At least you didn’t send it to anybody, right?” Green eyes slit open, grimacing at their fate. 

 

“Well...” David hummed. “Not _too_ many people...” 

 

“Dammit, David!” Neal swore, letting out a heavy sigh. 

 

“Oh!” Reidar sidled up next to David, stealing his cup along the way and drinking from it. “You must send me a copy. I have a sister who would be most jealous.” 

 

Both ignored the continued groaning of their hungover companion, two pairs of blue eyes just looking on out at the ocean view they got from the wide glass doors. 

 

“Sure.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, sorry about the shorter update, things have gotten little hectic as I prepare for the big two five coming up. 
> 
> I added in a little scene with David and the boys to make up for it and explain some of the events that led to the picture Corey got. 
> 
> See ya next week!


	5. Midnight Heros

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, so I'm sorry for the late updates this week. I got a little caught up with turning 25 on Wednesday and the assorted shenanigans that came along with that...So I ended up missing both of my deadlines and feel absolutely horrible for it @w@ 
> 
> Anyways, here is the newest chapter of 'Steel Studios', it's even larger than my chapters usually are! 
> 
> ⚠Trigger/Content Warnings⚠
>
>>   
> \- Corey gets mildly drunk at the party, as well as dosed with some sort of drug. Nothing bad happens to him other than the consumption itself. With this section I do want to make it clear that while Jim is the one who gave Corey the drinks **he did not drug him on purpose**. Jim didn't know the bowl had been laced, while he's an ass he's not _that_ big of an ass. 
>> 
>> \- While under the influence Jim does go further than he usually does in his advances and crosses many lines. I can see how this can be seen as highly triggering so feel free to skip that section if you want, but do know that he does get his just desserts. To avoid it once Corey and Jim return to the Barn, skip until Corey is in the orchard. Because this only happens this the one time I don't really want to tag the story with 'Attempted Non-Con', mostly due to the fact that it gets shut down pretty quick and to be honest both boys are pretty messed up.  
> 
> 
> Chapter is unedited, I will do my best to get to that ASAP.
> 
> Now, with that monster out of the way: Enjoy!

****Harlan lived in an old victorian that was on the far outskirts of Newport, the place had been remodeled and fixed up so it had all the modern amenities. The ceilings were high and the rooms were huge, sound boomed through the building easily due to the open design. Though everyone who was anyone and had been to a Harlan Pendry knew that the real party was out in the barn.

 

Just like the house the barn was an enormous construct. One huge room with access to a loft that circled above and looked over what the teens had fashioned into a dance floor.Somebody had hooked up several amplifiers and blasted upbeat popish music that almost seemed to shake the very walls. Light was also limited to just what several dancing spotlights could provide and fairy lights that provided an ambient glow. Honestly it was possibly the closest thing to a rave one could get to in Newport if you didn’t go to the Industrial district. 

 

To tell the truth, Corey was having a fairly good time. He sipped at a drink he poured himself for a while as he watched the barn fill with bodies, staying to the sidelines and doing his best impression of a wallflower. Jim had given him a ride to the party but had frowned when he noticed that Corey had defied his wishes and wore some of his own clothing. Not that anybody else seemed to mind. The blond smirked, one boot kicked up against the wall behind him he figured he might just look like a modern day James Dean. 

 

While Corey didn’t have much he did make sure to have a small collection of ‘clubbing clothes’, ones he didn’t wear often and did his best to keep them in decent condition. Tight grayed stonewash jeans stretched over his legs, damn close to being indecently tight. Form-fitting and loose in all the right places, this was complemented by the denim blue v-neck shirt that clung to him like a wet tissue. To finish it was a heavy leather coat that he adopted from his brother’s biking days as well as a pair of motorcycle boots. The look got him plenty of second looks and half-lidded stares, mostly form girls but occasionally from one of the guys. 

 

The teen had to admit the added effort was nice, he never dressed himself up all that much or did anything to his hair. A pretty blond caught his eye, biting her lip a little and beckoning him with a finger. Winking at her in return Corey gave her a mild shrugged and pushed himself off the wall, casually setting his drink aside as he strolled out on to the dance floor and up to her. He didn’t have a clue what her namewas and in many ways he didn’t really care. It was too loud in the barn to ask anyways. 

 

Dancing with the young woman was different from dancing with a guy, but Corey enjoyed himself just the same. She twirled from time to time, her golden hair swirling out like a halo and he’d hold onto her hips dancing close just barely able to here her bell-like laugh. Together they danced for what could have been hours but was probably only fifteen minutes or so. Others around them cast them looks, some of the pairs moving so awkwardly it was clear neither partner knew where to put their hands or how to move their feet. Corey nor his partner had that problem; had a school official seen what they were doing they would have probably fainted on the spot. 

 

For once Corey enjoyed being the bigger person, taunting gyrations and hinting touches shared between them. The girl would pull herself in close and deliver the most teasing whispers of affection before dancing away. It was clear that she was no stranger to the club scene either, it was also clear that she was expecting nothing more from Corey than a warm body to keep her temporary company.For once, he had no problem with that. 

 

Corey was laughing along with the girl —a joyous thing that both of them shared over seemingly nothing— when a solid body came up and settled behind him. Coyly looking over his shoulder Corey wasn’t surprised to see that Jim had finally found him and decided to join in on the fun. Leaning back a little Corey felt wide hand settle on him and pull him in tighter. Looking back to his previous dance partner the girl was giving him an almost lewd look, leaning in to peck him on the cheek. 

 

“I knew you were too good of a dancer.” Winking at him she backed up a little, slipping something into his pocket before disappearing into the crowd.  

 

“Thinking of cheating on the team?” Jim’s husked directly in his ear.

 

Corey laughed and shook his head, turning in Jim’s arms he put his own up on the taller teen’s shoulders. Dancing was nothing new to either of them either. 

 

“They’re not what I chose, but you clean up good Olsen.” Jim smiled. 

 

“I know.” Corey smiled impetuously, grinning as he spun away. 

 

Leading through the writhing bodies he pulled Jim behind him with a firm grip on his wrist. Returning to the wall, Corey worked his way back to the ‘bar’ and found a bottle of water. Checking the seal he found it intact and quickly cracked it open. Taking a swig for himself he offered it to Jim but the other rejected. Together the two walked out of the barn and out into the night air. Corey pulled in a deep breath, twirling a little with a chuckle. 

 

“I always forget that you’ve got such a killer bod.” Jim looked on with lowered lids and a soft smile. 

 

“You always forget that I have half a year on you.” Corey mused. 

 

“No seriously,” Jim walked up and cradled Corey’s hips in his hands. “You look so great, Babe.”

 

Humming in response Corey shrugged a little, leaning back into Jim and resting his head on his shoulder. “Guess that’s what happens when your dad is in construction and you go with your brother to the gym from time to time.” 

 

“Little hunk.” Jim chuckled, kissing down on Corey’s neck. 

 

Snorting, Corey playfully shoved the other away. “Stop it, you’ve been drinking.” 

 

“I’d want you even if I was sober.” Jim calmly said but relented. 

 

Letting the other just cuddle up to him, Corey pulled Jim’s hands from their lowered position and used them to wrap himself up. “You’re my best friend, Jim.” He whispered, wishing he could pull those arms even tighter around him. 

 

“Yeah?” Jim lowered his head, laying it down on a shoulder. 

 

“Yeah.” Corey nodded.

 

“Come on,” The taller teen pulled away. “Let’s go dance for a while, then we can head out of here.” 

 

The two returned to the party and joined all the others on the dance floor. As time passed Jim found himself a few more drinks and was able to convince Corey into a couple as well. On a whole he wasn’t a big drinker, in fact Corey hardly ever drank anywhere but at a party, so the two mixed cups were begging to hit him pretty hard after a while. 

 

Jim had him pulled in close and his hand started to slip lower, teasing the edges of the elastic band of his boxers. Corey pulled back a little and shot Jim a look, one he ignored. The hand returned to cup at Corey’s butt and this time he intervened, grabbing Jim’s wrist and pulling it away. 

 

“Dude, Jim, _stop_.” Corey warned, giving the other a solid look. 

 

“C’mon, Core,” Jim crooned. “I’m fucking burning up, man! You’re so hot and cold all over the place you’re making my balls blue!”

 

Raising a brow, but blinking a little when the room blurred slightly. Shaking his head seemed to help clear it up before he addressed Jim again. “Your balls are your own problem, not mine.” 

 

“But, Babe, I’d make you feel so good.” The other promised, reaching out. From the sluggish movement and unclear direction Corey could tell that Jim was well on his way to being truly drunk. 

 

“Make yourself feel good.” Corey frowned, backing up and storming off the dance floor. 

 

He _hated_ whenever Jim got like this. He _hated_ when Jim would just treat him like some floozy. They grew up together, they came out together, they were all each other had when the world got hard sometimes. Corey tried to think of all the good that Jim had in himself, but sometimes all the bad got in the way and mucked it all up. 

 

A firm hand grabbed Corey’s wrist, pulling him back a tad before he whipped around. Jim had this sad, betrayed look on his face. Like Corey was the problem here. 

 

“Come on, Babe, just this one time?” He whined. 

 

In a flash Corey’s fist snapped out, connecting right below Jim’s clavicle. The strike was hard enough to cause the larger boy to let go and lose his breath for a moment. It wasn’t enough to permanently damage Jim, despite it all Corey couldn’t bring himself to do that to him, but it was enough to get the message through. 

 

“Don’t call me ‘Babe’, asshole.” Corey spat, spinning back around and stomping out of the barn. 

 

Nobody called out to him as his feet carried him away, and nobody got in his way again. There had been plenty of people who saw him ‘attack’ Jim, which caused him to get a wide-eyed look every so often. Angrily the teen walked across the property without any real goal in mind. Coming up to an ancient apple tree he stopped and Corey rested his forehead against the twisted bark. 

 

Punching it lightly he felt his mind swirling and his world tilting some. Deciding to sit amongst the roots of the tree he hung his head and tried to shake off the hold the alcohol was slowly gaining over him. Sighing, Corey realized that his stomach wasn’t feeling too hot either. Polling his options he tried to think through what he had. 

 

There was no way he was getting a ride back to town with Jim. One: the guy was drunk enough that he wouldn’t even _think_ about getting in a vehicle with him. Two: Jim was being more of an ass than usual. And three: He did just punch the guy, not the best time to ask for favors. 

 

Jr. was out of town with Leena to visit her parents and tell them the good news. He was at least a three hour drive away and it had to have been pushing midnight. 

 

He _could_ walk back home...It was a long walk but not impossible. Possibly not the brightest thing to do, but still in the realm of reality. 

 

Sighing to himself Corey let his head fall lower, as much as he’d hate to it sounded like the third option was the only feasible one. Then another popped into his head. 

 

David. 

 

The man had told him that if he ever needed anything to call him. Corey felt a little bad about calling him so late, but a cold wind blowing by shot those thoughts right out of his mind. Pulling his phone from his jacket pocket —there was no room in his pant pockets for the bulky model— he scrolled through his contacts and pressed the call button. 

 

The phone rang a few times before it was answered. 

 

“Corey?” The man’s voice was awake and alert, sounding both concerned and surprised. 

 

* * *

 

When his phone went off David started with a mild jump, the vibration sounding out loudly on the small side table. He was reclined in his entertainment room, leaning back in silk pajama bottoms and a simple undershirt. Sipping at a freshly poured glass of Merlot, David was tapping through a selection of pictures on his tablet. He’d been at a modeling shoot earlier in the day and the photographer had sent him the raw clips for approval. Most of them were pretty good, if he said so himself. 

 

Grabbing his phone off the table he slid his thumb over the face to answer, looking briefly at the stock image as the ID proclaimed that Corey was calling him. Rumbling out the teen’s name got him a slightly slurred response. 

 

“David?” Corey’s voice wasn’t right. “Did I wake you?” 

 

Sitting up in his chair, David set his drink aside and the phone closer. 

 

“No, not at all, Core.” The man lowly answered, shaking his head despite the fact that the other couldn’t see it. 

 

“Good.”Silence stretched on after Corey spoke, a silence that made David nervous. 

 

“Corey, are you okay?” David asked softly, his voice lowered to a gentle rumble. 

 

“No, not really...” Corey mumbled. “Do you think you could come get me?” 

 

David stopped, his hand clenching tightly on the phone. Standing he quickly began searching for a pair of shoes. “Where are you?” 

 

“Uh,” The young man sounded so unfocused. “I think I’m lost in an orchard...” 

 

Pausing in his search just for a moment as things clicked into place. “Corey, are you drunk?” 

 

Some sort of noise came through the line, one that David had only previously heard come from some kinds of dying wildlife. 

 

“That’s a distinct possibility...” Corey moaned. “I punched Jim...” 

 

Slipping on his ratty jogging sneakers David fought his arm through a jacket sleeve, pausing when he hear that last amendment. “I would ask why, but I have a feeling I wouldn’t like the answer.” 

 

Groaning the teen on the other end muttered out an agreement of sorts. “Dave...I don’t feel good...” 

 

“Core, kid, tell me where you are,” David calmly tried to gather the information he needed. “Wherewas the last place you can remember?” 

 

“Harlan was having a party,” Corey whined under his breath. “Away from the city...old victorian place.” 

 

Running his knowledge of the city over his thoughts David tried to think of where Corey could possibly. There weren’t many places that had a lot of fruit trees in the area, but he also had no idea how far out the other was. 

 

“Can you give me anything more, Corey?” David urged. Climbing into his car he started up the engine and placed his phone down in its holder. “I’m getting in my car now, Core, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” 

 

“The road isn’t too far off...” The teen spoke groggily. “I can hear cars going by...” 

 

“Corey, what’s going on? Did you do anything more than just drink?” David frowned, going north along the coastline. There was nothing to the south but empty cattle pastures for miles, this was was a better bet. 

 

“No.” A shuffling came over the line. “Just some mixed drinks...Like two? Maybe three?” 

 

“Core, did you make those drinks yourself?” Panic began to fill David’s mind, the man pressing down on the pedal a little harder. He felt like he didn’t need to ask, he was sure he knew the answer. 

 

“No,” Corey whined. “Jim did. But it was from a big bowl I think...” 

 

“Okay, Corey, okay, don’t worry about it right now, I’m on my way.” David ushered the car over the road, the vehicle racing along at his behest. “Keep talking to me, okay?” 

 

“Yeah...” Corey murmured. “I found the road.” 

 

“Corey, listen to me, okay? Listen, stay where you are. Don’t go wandering off, okay?” 

 

“Okay.” The teen agreed mildly. 

 

“How’s studying for finals coming along?” David asked after a few moments. 

 

“Okay, I guess...Goes better with you around though...” Corey moped.

 

Chuckling David grinned a little and tapped over on his phone some, pulling up a map. “Hey, so this Harlan guy, where did you say he lived?” 

 

“Old place, out off of Kingston.” Corey sounded confused. “Jim drove me here, but he’s bad with directions.”

 

Humming in mild agreement David plugged that information in the app, taking the next right as it suggested. “What kind of trees do you think they have?” 

 

“Apples,” Corey stated solidly. “His mom makes cider for the holidays.” 

 

“Any good?” David asked, just wanting to keep the teen talking to him. 

 

“Yeah.” Corey confirmed. 

 

“So I modeled some briefs today.” He informed. Checking the map again he narrowed down his search and maneuvered the car on some old country road. 

 

“Yeah?” Corey peaked with interest. “Bet they look really good.” 

 

“I’d like to think so.” David laughed. Driving along his high beams illuminated out ahead him, the road empty except for a lone figure in the distance. 

 

“David, there’s a car coming...” The teen spoke lowly, sounding worried. 

 

“It’s okay, it’s me.” David assured. Slowing down in his approach, he rolled to a stop next to Corey, looking up at the drunken teen. 

 

Rolling down his window he gave Corey a warm smile. “Someone order a pick up?” 

 

Corey cocked a hip to the side in his damn near indecent jeans, crookedly grinning. It would have been picturesque if it weren’t for the lack of lucidity in his eyes. 

 

“Hey.” 

 

“Hey.” David chuckled. Unbuckling himself he smoothly stepped out of the car, drawing closer to Corey to check his condition. When he got within touching distance Corey simply leaned forward and draped on him. 

 

“I danced with a girl.” 

 

“Good for you.” The tall man chuckled, ignoring his better judgement and pulling Corey up against his chest. The boy fit just so perfectly against him, arms flopped over his shoulders and forehead resting in the junction between his chest and throat. 

 

“You smell good.” Corey hummed, nuzzling down a little.

 

“Thanks,” David smiled softly, nosing the blond waves teasing him. “Let’s get you into the car, it’s getting cold.” 

 

“M’kay.” The teen willingly went with the mild prompting and found himself sat and buckled without much hassle. 

 

When David slid back into his car he just looked over at Corey in mild wonder. He was dressed so differently that last time he saw him, much less innocent, more provocative. The man knew only one reason why somebody would adopt such a drastic change in wardrobe, and it set a heavy stone in his gut. 

 

Buckling up David tapped his GPS and set the directions back for town. Driving slower than he had when he was on his way David sent Corey curious glances from time to time but other than that responsibly drove. Corey was balled up in the seat, face smushed against what must have been a cold window. The leather jacket he wore was too big, not so large as to engulf him, but enough to be noticeable. He looked cold. 

 

David turned up the heat a little. 

 

“So, I’m taking you back home, yeah?” David spoke lowly, not wanting to startle the teen. 

 

Drowsily shaking his head, Corey didn’t even open his eyes. “Don’t wanna...Nobody’s home. Don’ wanna be alone...” 

 

Sighing the man nodded a little, taking the decision upon himself. He seriously hoped that this night wouldn’t end up with him in prison. Adjusting his destination David calmly guided the car along old bumpy roads that faded from gravel to pavement. Streetlights winked by, their light blocking out the stars above. The clock on his dash showed that it was now getting close to one in the morning. 

 

“Okay, Core,” David rumbled. “We’ll go back to mine. I’ll get you home in the morning...” 

 

Pulling through the gates of his property a few minutes later he rolled back into his garage and parked the car. Looking over David saw that Corey was passed out, breath fogging on the window a little. Letting out a little disbelieving chuckle the man unbuckled himself and got out of the car. Opening the passenger door he propped Corey against his shoulder as he leaned in and collected his phone as he unbuckled the teen from his confines. 

 

“C’mon, Corey, gotta get up for a minute so I can get you inside.” 

 

David kept his voice real low and soft. He was no stranger to alcohol himself, or a number of the things that liked to lurk alongside the clubbing scene. While he’d never taken or been slipped anything he’d known a number of people who had, and with so many things out there that could so easily be snuck into a mixed bowl he wanted to keep a close eye on his charge. David wasn’t sure what symptoms to expect but he wanted to cover his bases. 

 

The teen mumbled into his shoulder, nothing that was coherent. 

 

“Core, come on.” David jostled the teen a little, sighing when he only clutched tighter. 

 

Admitting defeat after a few more attempts David just bowed lower and easily pulled Corey up against him. It wasn’t as easy as he expected, but it also wasn’t _hard_. David was expecting to have nearly a hundred pounds on the kid, but lifting him he felt that it was significantly less than that. Kid had more muscle to him that David previously thought. 

 

Cradling Corey close to himself David gently closed the car door and made his way to the garage door, wiggling a bit so he had a free hand to turn the knob. Walking through the living room he went directly to the entertainment room, setting Corey down on the wide couch there. Normally he would pull the thing out to make his guest a bed, but Corey was shot and easily fit on the cushions as is. 

 

Prying off Corey’s boots was simple, lacking straps or ties and just slipping off. Removing the jacket was another order. David attempted to be as careful as possible, but Corey seemed intent on fighting him all along the way, drunkenly grabbing at loose folds whenever any ground would be gained. Eventually he was able slip it off, though it almost took Corey’s shirt with it. The view made David’s brow lift some. While it was nothing like his own or that of his friends the teen had a mild six pack tucked away under his clothes, proof of an athletic lifestyle. Pulling the shirt back down and smoothing it unnecessarily David stood back up and lowered a crocheted quilt over the whimpering teen. 

 

Stepping back and sitting in his recliner David let out a heavy breath and just looked at Corey. His mind buzzed with thoughts and he had to shamefully admit that he was chubbing up just a bit. That worried him more than the teen being here in the first place. David hadn’t been attracted to a teenager since he was one himself. His senior year he had dated an older man —much to his mother’s disapproval— and he hadn’t really looked back. He was almost twenty seven, and had made it a point in his films to not shoot with somebody who wasn’t at the very least twenty. 

 

The fact that Corey was seventeen, while close to eighteen, still troubled him greatly. The attraction he held for him was different, David liked how they could talk about everything and anything —no matter how trivial. He liked how the teen had just accepted him for who he was and didn’t judge him for what he did. And, sure, Corey was a good looking kid, but that was the thing: _he was a kid_. There was the very base for a form of adult attraction, the bones of something that could be sexual, but hadn’t quite matured to that point yet. 

 

David didn’t want Corey sexually. But he _could_. Someday.  

 

And that scared him. 

 

Leaning back the man looked over to his stagnant glass of wine and frowned a little. He wasn’t upset that his night was interrupted, rather he was relieved in a way that Corey called him when he needed help. Picking up the glass and pouring it down the sink David returned to his post and conceded to the fact that he wouldn’t be getting much sleep that night. 

 

Pulling out his tablet the man decided that he would at least be productive while he stayed on watch. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Corey’s mind blurred a little as he groggily woke. His mind split with a sharp pain, causing him to hiss and plunk his head back down into the stiff cushion. Eyes tightened to keep the light out, under his cheek Corey could feel a smooth texture and pick up a musky smell. He didn’t recognize it at first, his mind shot beyond any sort of processing. 

 

Slowly stretching his feet his something solid as did the top of his head. Slowly opening his eyes Corey didn’t immediately know where he was, or the background noises around him. He couldn’t really remember too well what happened last night, flashes came back to him in blurs. None of it really helped him know where he was or how he got there. 

 

Hearing a loud noise to his left he looked that way and saw somebody slouched back into a chair, head tilted back and snoring away. 

 

That person was David. Granted he was dressed more rattily than he’d ever seen, but there was no doubt that was the man he knew. 

 

Propping himself up a little Corey could remember calling David last night. The man had clearly come and gotten him then brought him back here. Looking around the teen remembered seeing this room briefly last time he was here. Pulling the blanket around himself tighter he felt himself shudder, a headache wrecked havoc on Corey’s mind. Groaning he stumbled up and went in search of the bathroom. 

 

There was one off the kitchen and he caught a look of himself in the mirror. Corey almost recoiled from the vision, he looked _that_ bad. Muttering away at himself the teen relieved himself and made sure that he wasn’t going to lose his guts all over the floor before returning to join David. Plunking back down on his ‘bed’ Corey just watched the man sleep for a few minutes before he started feeling creepy about it. 

 

He had seen this man, _all_ of the man, in all sorts of situations and acts but he’d never seen him doing something so innocent as sleep. David looked so much softer like this, his junky sneakers still worn and a jogging jacket flopping open to reveal a riding up undershirt. His hair was all mussed up from sleep and his stubble was actively rebelling. It only took a few minutes upon meeting him that Corey realized that ‘Magnum Steel’ and David Acciaio were two very different individuals. 

 

In his films ‘Magnum’ always held a certain amount of dominance, his size and strength normally enough to make it clear who was in charge. Some shoots played on that, he wasn’t gentle or lovely with his co-stars, there wasn’t any unnecessary kindness given. That was the oddest thing about ‘Magnum’s’ appeal, he moved like a predator, fucked like a beast, and never failed to please, but at the same time there was some sort of animalistic protection he offered. Corey always recognized it in ways that he could see even despite his own inexperience, ‘Magnum’ was rough but never too rough. He was a fantasy, one that offered strength, the thrill of being ‘taken’, but he also gave the feeling of being wanted, of being brutishly cherished. 

 

David wasn’t really like that, at least not with Corey. He was comforting, warm and open. The man was funny and easy to talk to about anything. He teased and played, wove stories and pulled pranks. David was a man that could put on a performance knowing full well that it would be plastered all over the internet by the end of the month but also worried about if embarrassing pictures of him got leaked. Corey guessed that David was dominating in his own ways, simply by so easily asserting himself into an agreeable amendable type of authority. He watched over his friends like a hawk, eyes sharp for any threat or danger they might come across them. And if one appeared he’d crush it. As ‘Magnum’ he had a protective undertone, but as David it poured off him like it was the essence of his being. 

 

The man was nine years older than Corey, worked in what wasn’t seen as a ‘reputable industry’, but not once had he actually been afraid of David, not truly. He’d somehow stumbled into the shadows of David’s protection and Corey couldn’t think of a place that would be any safer. 

 

Snapping himself out of his thoughts the teen stood a little unevenly before crouching next to David’s chair, tapping his knee a little. 

 

“David?” 

 

The man snapped to attention with a abrupt snort. Shaking his head a little, bright blue eyes cleared of fog quickly when they honed in on him. 

 

“Mornin’,” He rumbled, sleep thick voice deep and warm. “You okay?” 

 

Smiling a little Corey nodded carefully. “Got a hell of a headache, but yeah, I’m good. Thanks.” 

 

David let his head fall back, a smile pulling at his lip. “No problem.” Reaching out blindly he managed to successfully ruffle Corey’s hair. 

 

“You came and got me.” Corey said needlessly.

 

David hummed in agreement, his large hand resting on the teen’s shoulder. 

 

Corey leaned against the arm of recliner a little, looking up at David slightly. He enjoyed the idle action of David’s thumb rolling back and forth a path on his neck. 

 

“I’m sorry I called you so late.” The teen sighed a little. 

 

“‘S okay,” David opened his eyes and met Corey’s. “Rather that than you be in trouble somewhere.” 

 

Grinning some, the blond felt warmness fill him. “You’re not really awake yet, are you?” 

 

“Nope.” The man grinned lazily, closing his eyes again. 

 

“We should probably get you on a bed then.” Corey decided. 

 

“Couch pulls out.” David supplied. 

 

Corey stood and looked back at where he slept. Walking over to it he studied for a moment before testing the limbs, figuring out how it unfolded and laid it out. The cushions were bare but they were better than nothing. Going back to David he nudged the man’s shoulder. 

 

“I got the couch out.” 

 

Groaning a little David nodded and poured himself out of his seat, stretching his limbs briefly and letting out a roar of a yawn. 

 

“Mmm’k.” Scratching at his firm stomach David took a few steps before flopping face-first on the pull-out. 

 

Corey laughed at him and tugged at David’s smooth bottoms, prompting the man to fully roll on the cushions. On his back, David’s eyes were just barely slits a mild grin on his face. With one hand he beckoned to Corey, patting down next to him. 

 

“Best cure for a hangover is sleep.” He mumbled. 

 

Corey chuckled, shrugging a little as he laid back down. Initially there was a fair bit of distance between them but David fixed that by pulled him closer and tucked him under his arm. Corey felt a little like a glorified teddy bear but he wasn’t going to complain anytime soon. Wiggling a little closer and into a more comfortable possession Corey reached over them both and snagged the blanket he was using earlier, draping it to the best of his ability over them. 

 

Corey dozed but David was snoring again in minutes. The teen let that lull him until the world once again faded into the realm of sleep. 

 

Eventually the pair returned to the realm of the living, Corey feeling much better and David once again rested enough to face the world. When they woke they had been roughly in the same position, Corey was tucked into David like some sort of heat-sucking limpet and the larger man was spread out haphazardly on his back. Before Corey even had time to be embarrassed David laughed and shook his head, demanding coffee before he did anything more with his day. 

 

It was noon before either were really ready to do more than just bumble about. Corey took up David’s offer and cleaned up there, a quick shower and the use of a spare toothbrush. It was amazing how those two things could make you feel less dead inside after a night gone awry. The teen was rather content to just laze about with the other all day but David eventually proposed that he take him home. Which Corey, begrudgingly, decided was for the better. 

 

The two drove in companionate silence, one still less than one-hundred percent after his nightly adventure and the other dragging along on a less than average night of sleep. Corey could almost feel a shift in their relationship, a subtle change in how they would interact with one another from now on. Before he felt like an acquaintance that floated along the outside bubble of David’s world, now he felt like he belonged alongside him as a friend. It caused an ease in the silence that allowed a lack of chatter that they used to rely on. It was solace in the brewing storm that Corey knew was brewing in the distance. 

 

“So,” David impishly teased as they waited at a stoplight. “What’s with the skinny-jeans?” 

 

Pulling an embarrassed face Corey felt his face heat. “Uh, they’re my clubbing clothes.” 

 

The man chuffed and mildly shook his head. “I’m not even going to comment on the fact that you shouldn’t be ‘clubbing’ at your age,” Giving the teen a playfully accusing look. “But next time I’m free I’m taking you out shopping for clothes that don’t make you look like you’re selling it on the corner.” 

 

“Hey!” Corey laughed, crossing his arms. “I’ll have you know this jacket used to be my brother’s.” 

 

Again David let out a bark of a laugh. “The jacket is possibly the only good thing about that whole getup. Well, and the boots.” 

 

“Thanks.” Corey mulishly replied, looking blankly out the front window. 

 

“Denim might be a better look on you,” David offered. “Leather’s hard to pull off when you have a lighter complexion and still look very much like a teenager. Too innocent.” 

 

“Oh, I’m so sorry my fashion sense is not up to the demands of a _porn star_.” Corey rose a brow, a small smile teasing at his face. 

 

“We’re an easily offended people.” David nodded along playfully. 

 

Pulling up to the curb outside of Corey’s house David stopped the car and turned it off. Corey looked at him as David lowered his sunglasses and looked at him, their eyes met and Corey could see the seriousness leaking into the friendly gaze. 

 

“Corey, I want you to know that no matter what is going on you can _always_ call me and I will come get you. If you find yourself in any situation where you don’t feel safe or even if you just don’t want to be there, call me. If I can’t make it I will send somebody to get you.” Leaning back and smiling boldly David looked both friendly and roguish. “But with that said, don’t make it a habit. Yeah?” 

 

Corey bit at his lip, nodding silently in return. His eye casted up and met the icy blue ones still locked on him. It almost felt like a scene in a movie, that perfect moment where he could lean forward and kiss the other man and then the credits would roll and they’d get their happy ending. 

 

Almost. 

 

So he didn’t. Instead Corey simply said his thanks again, getting out of the car as gracefully as he could. Waved to David and walked up his driveway before the man called out to him again. 

 

“Corey!” David’s voice bounced through the air. 

 

When the teen turned around he saw the man out of his car, arms crossed over the top as he leaned forward on them. He was grinning, showing just the right amount of teeth. Tilting his head Corey just looked at the man for a moment. 

 

“Good luck on your finals.” David winked teasingly as he slid back into his car, starting it back up and driving it away. 

 

Corey smiled warmly and watched the blue vehicle disappear before he turned back to the door and used his keys to unlock it and step inside. 

 

“Corrigan Charles Olsen!” Jr.’s voice thundered through the house, the Corey’s older brother stepping into the hallway and looking dangerously at him. He was disheveled and visibly furious. “Where in the seven circles of Hell have you been!” 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, long chapter was long! So, things are getting shaken up and Corey's world is continuing to change while David is trying to figure out where the kid that stumbled into his life fits into it all. 
> 
> Next update will be on Monday the 24th. (I promise) 
> 
> Comments and Questions welcome! Or if you'd rather yell at me on Tumblr you can find me [here](http://thedarkhammer.tumblr.com/).


	6. Nadir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter ~~un~~ edited.

Sunday was an awkward experience for all involved. Once Jr. was done yelling at the top of his lungs he crushed Corey to him in a hug that was far too tight. Jr. lectured him for nearly an hour after that, saying that he needed to stay in contact and that he had thought something horrible had happened to him. Corey decided to not inform his brother that he had gotten drunk and more than likely a little more than that during his 'disappearance'. Then Jr. decided to start in on the ‘Mysterious Older Man’ that dropped him off. 

 

Corey had sighed heavily when his brother went on a tirade about the dangers of dating older people, that they would only want to use you for your body and youth to make themselves feel younger. That argument was cut short by Corey pointing out that Jr. himself was older than Leena. Granted, the age gap was nowhere near severe as the one between Corey and David, but what Jr. didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. 

 

Or put Corey in hotter water. 

 

After another half hour of relentless attempts Jr. gave up on acquiring the identity of Corey’s ‘Date’. Though he did go as far as to say that he didn’t trust the man and warned Corey off of him. Then he proceeded to inform Corey that he was Grounded until the end of the school year or when he decided to divulge ‘That Man’s’ name. 

 

After all the warnings and yelling was over Jr. damn near clung to Corey like a limpet, following him around the house and watching him like a hawk. An overly protective, hovering, hawk. The rest of the day Corey devoted to finishing some last minute assignments and trying to cram a little more studying in before dinner. 

 

Leena too had plenty to say, but was a little more mild about it. She had expressed he worry and that was it. After dinner the three of them watched a few episodes of some random home improvement show before Corey called it good for the night. 

 

Returning to school on Monday was unusual to say the least. First of all, Jim never hunted him down. Which was weird. Secondly people tended to stare at him as he passed, which wasn’t all that strange, Corey got looks occasionally from admirers but this wasn’t just a few shy freshman, it was everyone. Corey didn’t really think of it all that much until Jeffery —one of the younger guys that he hung out with during lunch— straight up ignored him when he spoke to him in class. Corey had just narrowed his eyes and frowned, shrugging it off as the early morning grumps. 

 

It wasn’t until lunch that he realized that he had apparently become a pariah. 

 

Walking up to the regular table Corey noticed that there wasn’t really room to sit down anywhere. He stood there for a second before clearing his throat, Corey could tell that the others saw him. Hell, Jeff even shrunk down in his seat a little, clearly looking ashamed. Slowly raising a brow Corey frowned.

 

“Really guys?” He stated flatly. 

 

Nobody responded. 

 

Nodding bitterly Corey bit at his cheeks to keep from spitting out vile epithets at them all. He was about to turn and walk away when Jim strolled up and claimed a spot at the table, purposely locking eyes with Corey and smirking. 

 

“You know, Jim, I always knew you were an ass, but this is a new low for you.” Corey bit out. 

 

Shrugging innocently Jim just scoffed. “We just don’t feel like associating with violent people.” 

 

“Oh, but hanging around with a would-be rapist is all good?” Corey shot back violently. 

 

That caused a little murmuring among the table, specifically with the girls, some of which were shooting Jim dirty looks. 

 

“Please,” Jim rolled his eyes. “It’s not my fault that _you_ won’t put out.” 

 

The reaction from that was more noticeable. Many of the girls gave Jim shocked looks before packing up their stuff and storming away. One even went so far as to shout out ‘creep’ on her way out. 

 

“You know what, Jim,” Corey sighed, face falling flat. “I’m done. I was kind of hoping that you’d pull your head out of your ass and stop thinking with that pencil-dick of yours, but I guess you’re not really worth it.” 

 

“Fine.” Jim chuffed. “Not like I really wanted a high school retread like you anyways.” 

 

Rolling his eyes the older teen just shrugged. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that.” 

 

Turning on his toes Corey dumped his lunch in a passing garbage can. He wasn’t really hungry anymore anyways. Going to the library he located himself back in the rarely visited sections and pulled out his books. Emotions welled up and overwhelmed him, tears burning at his eyes as he pointlessly tried to read. 

 

The rest of the day he just drifted from class to class, going to his locker and swapping things out as he needed them. One of the guy’s girlfriends came up to him right as school let out and apologized. She felt bad that his ‘break up’ with Jim went so poorly, she then proceeded to warn him that a few of the guys were banding pretty close to his ex and were brewing up some sort of scheme. 

 

Corey thanked her and then began his walk home. Like near every other day the house was empty, throwing his stuff into his room Corey began gathering up the clothes laying around on the ground and shoving them in a laundry bag. He tried to be pretty good about that, doing his laundry every week or so to keep from running out of things. Sorting colors and materials from each other in the garage Corey made piles and figured what could be washed together and what needed to be separate. Digging out the pair of pants he wore over the weekend a piece of paper fell out of the pocket, bending down to pick it up Corey unfolded it to see a small message and a number. 

 

_‘Text me sometime. <3’ _

 

Thinking about who could have slipped that to him the blond came up blank and frowned a little in curiosity. Putting his colors in the wash the teen pulled himself on top of the dryer and pulled out his phone. 

 

[Hey, who is this?]

[You gave me your number at a party last Saturday?]

 

A few minutes passed and Corey switched over to a stock game on his older phone and ran through a level before his phone buzzed. 

 

_[Oh, gosh, this is embarrassing...]_

_[I_ * _never_ * _do this]_

 

Corey chuckled at that response but left it alone, wondering if the person would say more. He didn’t have to wait long. 

 

_[Um. Hi. I’m Amber.]_

 

Corey smiled a little, tapping out a message in return. 

 

[Hi, Amber. I’m Corey.]

 

_[That guy I danced with?]_

 

[Uh, yeah, we danced.]

 

_[Until your boyfriend came along ;) ]_

 

Corey grimaced a little at the reminder. 

 

[Not my boyfriend.]

 

The pause was longer this time, the washer buzzing to signal it’s completion. Corey hopped down from his perch to switch the now clean clothes into the dryer, placing a new load into the wash. 

 

_[Oh, gosh. I am sooooo sorry, I jus thought!]_

 

Laughing at that Corey just shook his head. 

 

[It’s okay. He used to be.]

 

_[Oh, good. My Gaydar is pretty good, but I didn’t_ _want to offend you if it was wrong.]_

 

[No, you’re good.]

 

_[Good. =3]_

_[I gotta run to class here in a minute. TTYL?]_

 

Frowning a little bit at that Corey sent out a text. It had to have been pushing five, not really an average time to be 'running off' to class. 

 

[Sure.]

[Class? Where do you go to school?]

 

_[Newport Junior College.]_

_[You?]_

 

[Uhh....]

 

There was a brief pause again. 

 

_[I gave my number to a high schooler again, didn’t I?]_

 

[Yeah...]

 

Corey winced a little at the admission. He was warming up to Amber, she seemed fun. 

 

_[GDI!!!!]_

_[Oh well...It’s yours now.]_

_[No hard feelings? TTYL?]_

 

[Sure.]

Corey smiled to himself a little. Amber seemed a little scattered, but at least she was friendly. 

 

Moving a few loads around after folding what was already dry the teen then headed back to the kitchen. On the fridge were all sorts of clipped articles on nursery design and baby-proofing a house. Sighing he looked at the calendar and noticed that there were only a few days left of April. Jr. and him had agreed that he would be out by the end of May. That gave him a month to find stable employment and housing. Jr. wanted him to go back to living with their folks, but there was no way that was happening. 

 

Pulling the newspaper out of the recycling he sat down at the table and found a pen, going to the classifieds. There was a good amount of work listed there so he decided to filter through it all and see if he could find anything that was applicable to him. To be honest, he wasn’t qualified for much. By the end of his search he only had two things circled and even then those he was a little skeptical of. 

 

The rest of his week went by pretty quick. Corey went to school and tried his best to stay up with his studies. After he’d take his list of circled classifieds out of his pocket and roam the town to check up on them. Nothing was panning out in person and everything he found online required him to at least have a high school diploma or something of equal value. 

 

Friday left him feeling a little hopeless. May began on Sunday and he had nothing to show for it. Finals were in three weeks and Corey was feeling pretty sure on most of the material. He had chatted with Amber a few more times, finding out that she was actually an engineering major. She also wasn’t as frazzled as she first seemed, Amber was actually quite bright. He asked why she was at the party when she was so much older than the rest of them, she simply provided the tidbit that she was Harlan’s cousin and had been put in charge of watching over him until his folks got back. He hadn’t gotten a shining endorsement from her and was now also grounded. 

 

The news reported that a late season storm was going to be coming in. Which was fine with Corey, he liked the rain, but it would make finding work a little hard if it went on for too long. Since he walked everywhere if it began to rain he would have to take the bus, a long lasting onslaught of rain would put a major dent in his wallet. One that he really didn’t need at the moment. 

 

A week from finals Corey got his first call from a prospective job, earning an interview for the next day. 

 

School had grown to be pretty uncomfortable. So far nothing bad had happened to him, but Corey was getting downright pissed with the people that had supposedly been his friends. Some of the girls still spoke to him if they crossed paths, but other than that nobody approached him. Corey had taken to eating in the library, doing so under the steady gaze of the librarian, after a few days of proving to be clean the narrow man began leaving him to his own devices. 

 

Popularity had always come fairly easily to Corey. He just happened to fall into the right crowd when they were all young and his last name earned him some recognition. Jim had always been the holder of the crown, but until recently Corey himself had actually held some sway. But not anymore. He thought about trying to befriend a new group of people but felt like that was shallow so close to the end of the school year. 

 

The interview didn’t pan out. The fast food chain needed a cashier, but wanted experience and wasn’t willing to train. So that checked Corey’s only option off his very short list. 

 

By the time that Finals actually rolled around Corey found himself nervously biting at his nails and at the end of his rope. Jim cast him a sneering smirk anytime they’d cross paths in the halls, that didn’t help. He’d had a few more interviews since his first and while they were more promising he hadn’t heard anything back from them yet.

 

Corey had gotten a few texts from David since he saw the man last but was so busy with all his other duties he hadn’t been able to really chat with him much. He felt bad because the man clearly kept trying even if Corey had to reply shortly with him or not answer until much later. Corey thought about filling David in on his dilemma but didn’t want to trouble him, it was bad enough that he had drunkenly called him for help during Harlan’s party. 

 

No, Corey was adamant that he could get by on his own. 

 

Until he couldn’t. 

 

Thursday would be his last Final, the nice simple subject of English, and Corey was trying to wrap up his prompts for an in-class essay they had to do. He was hoping to write about the Industrial Period of England and its representation in the media as he was actually somewhat familiar on that but it was possible that his teacher would also choose one of three other subjects. Those he had to make notes for and study up on. They were allowed a page of notations that they could use as evidence so Corey crammed as much on it as he could legibly write. He didn’t sleep that well that night but he figured he could make up for it when he got home. 

 

Sadly Corey’s teacher decided that a collective response to the four books they read that year was a better topic for an essay and he had to scramble to remember important parts of each of them. As he scribbled down words Corey realized that he couldn’t really remember much from the first two which made him jittery; which made him nervous; which made him the second to last person to turn in their paper. Leaving the classroom with a proverbial cloud lurking overhead the teen scolded himself because he knew it wasn’t one of his best. 

 

Jim was leaning on the lockers a few doors down and called out to him. 

 

“Hey, Breeders kick you out on the street yet?” 

 

Brushing past him Corey ignored the taunt and kept on walking. 

 

“Only a matter of time!” Jim’s voice called out to him.

 

Corey knew that —he _dreaded_ it— but it was an inevitable fact. 

 

Corey’s mental cloud had seemed to have grown into real ones looming in the sky, big and dark. The air was beginning to gather that smell that always accompanied rain. The predicted storm just on the horizon. He got home just before it started sprinkling. 

 

Jr. was home but Corey didn’t see him until he went to his room. His older brother was moving a few boxes around but stopped when Corey came in. 

 

“Hey Core,” He smiled. “Just trying to figure out where to put some stuff.” 

 

“Like what?” Corey slung his bag down, pushing it aside a little as he’d no longer need it. 

 

“Uh, some of the stuff for the nursery is showing up a little earlier than we thought...” Jr. muttered, repositioning a box. 

 

“Cool.” Corey nodded, subtly moving a few other things out of the way. 

 

“Yeah, so, uh, I hate to do this to ya, Corey,” Jr. stopped fiddling with the boxes and looked back at his little brother. “But I was thinking it would be easier to just start moving some of the stuff in here out and work on setting up the stuff for the baby.” 

 

Nodding along the teen chewed nervously on his cheek. “Yeah, that’s cool.” 

 

“So, uh, the bed takes up a lot of space in here...” Jr. lead with. “I know we said we could hold off until the end of the month, and I mean you’re welcome to stay on the couch or something, but maybe we should think about getting some of your stuff over to Mom and Pop’s.” 

 

“Oh...” Corey looked around at the room. “Yeah, uh, I guess I can start packing some stuff up.” 

 

“Thanks, Core,” Jr.’s face eased, smiling softly and relieved. “I know this was kind of last minute, but you’re welcome here whenever shit gets rough.” 

 

“Yeah, I know.” Corey nodded a little. Bending down to pull his duffle out from under his bed he opened it up and patted off some of the dust. He’d just done laundry so that would be easy to pack away, though it wasn’t like he had much else anyway. 

 

“Think we should call Mom and let her know?” Jr. asked. 

 

“No.” Corey shook his head. “I’ll probably just go crash with Jim or somebody for a while.” 

 

He hadn’t told his brother about what Jim did or their falling out. Jr. never liked Jim all that much, with fair reason, but Corey didn’t want to hear it again. He knew that Jr. didn’t approve of his choice of boyfriends or even really friends but Corey was tired of hearing his brother speak down on them. 

 

“Corey...” The older Olsen frowned, crossing his arms. 

 

“It’s cool, Jim’s folks love me. I’ll just crash there for a little bit and test the waters back at home.” 

 

Corey felt bad about lying to his brother, but he didn’t really have too many other options. He’d pretty much burned his bridges with Jim, but Corey was kind of hoping that years of friendship would override a spat, even if it did get pretty bad. 

 

As he packed his things Corey chatted with Jr., moving on to different subjects such as the purchasing of the rental and how Leena was feeling. She was just now really beginning to show, he own mother stating that it was going to be a baby girl. Somehow she said she just knew. 

 

The sale was also going well, Jr. was able to negotiate a good price and the bank had quickly approved them for a lone. It was going to get a little tricky because there was also a wedding to plan, though that wasn’t going to be until sometime that Fall. Leena was due in September and she’d rather work around getting back into shape for her dress than constantly worrying about outgrowing it as she progressed. 

 

Once Corey gathered up all his clothes, toiletries, and other accessories he zipped up his duffle and looked around at what else was his to take. Jr. promised him a new laptop for his birthday, so he would leave the one here behind, though he did take the time to wipe it of anything that might scar his brother too much. With his school books returned there wasn’t much to shove back into his backpack beside a few things that wouldn’t fit in his other bag. 

 

“Wow...” Jr. spoke a little sadly. “I can’t believe all your stuff fits into just two bags...” 

 

“I don’t really have much,” Corey shrugged carelessly, he’d stopped being pestered by it a long time ago. “A lot of my stuff is still back home.” 

 

“At least you’ll be getting that stuff back now.” His brother smiled hopefully. 

 

“Yeah.” Core sighed, hiking his bag over his shoulder. 

 

“Hey, call when you can, yeah?” Jr. insisted. 

 

“Of course.” Corey smiled. 

 

“Leena’s going to miss you.” 

 

“She’ll get over it,” Corey laughed. “That is, once she realizes that you two now have the whole place all to yourselves.” 

 

Grinning along the older brother nodded. “That I guess she will.” 

 

Jr. smiled sadly and pulled out to clutch Corey to him, yet again. “Dude, I’m going to miss you.” 

 

“I’ll be around.” Corey reassured, patting awkwardly on his brother’s shoulder as his own arms were kind of pinned. 

 

“I know...” Jr. pulled back and sighed. “But still.” 

 

“You’ll live, you lug.” Corey playfully winked and took a step back. “I should probably make a call.” 

 

“Yeah,” Jr. nodded. “Let me know if you need a ride.” 

 

“Will do.” Corey promised as he pulled out his phone. 

 

He felt his stomach drop a little as he dialed the number but swallowed down the bile as the ringing carried through. 

 

_“Hello?”_

 

“Hey, Jim...” Corey sighed a little, head resting against the wall in front of him. 

 

_“Finally that time, huh?”_

 

“Can we keep the gloating to a minimum?” Corey chewed on his cheek, a coppery taste filling his mouth. 

 

_“So?”_ The other teen sounded smug.

 

“Jim,” Corey sighed. “I need a place to crash for a little bit. I was kind of hoping that offer was still open.”

 

_“I don’t know...”_ Jim’s voice carried off. _“I mean, it sounded like you were ‘done with me’ a couple weeks back.”_

 

“Please, Jim?” Corey hated that he was begging, but he knew it would get the other’s attention. “I’m sorry.” 

 

_“Groveling will get you everywhere,”_ Jim purred. _“Yeah, come on over, the folks will be delighted to see ya.”_

 

“Thank you, Jim.” Corey felt like throwing up but found a small bit of sincerity in his words. 

 

_“No problem, Babe,”_ The victorious grin in Jim’s voice was crystal clear. _“Think you can get here by yourself? Kind of busy right now...”_

 

Corey frowned, listening to the sound of rain pouring down outside. 

 

“Yeah, I guess I can.” The walk wasn’t _that_ far. 

 

“Cool,” Jim hummed. “I promise that he’ll be gone by the time you get here.” 

 

Clenching his fist Corey connected the dots. Letting out an angry sigh the blond nodded a little, both to Jim and to himself. 

 

“Okay.” 

 

“See you in like, half an hour or so.” Jim noted, pleased and it showed. 

 

Corey looked at the window, the water falling down it, and admitted defeat. He could have Jr. drive him over, but then he’d get there too soon and he had no idea how Jim would react to that. Corey was in that guy’s pocket, yet again, and he wasn’t sure if he could pull himself out of it again. 

 

“Sure.” 

 

The phone call ended with a click, sudden and never before had it sounded so harsh. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter is short...
> 
> Well, anyways, as down as things are beginning to look for Corey things are looking up for all my readers!  
> I admit I sometimes have issues writing a story in proper order, sometimes jumping around and working on different chapters randomly on the timeline. (I'm working really hard on not doing that anymore)  
> But where the good news comes in for you guys is that I am now entering a huge section that I have already written so updates will definitely be on time! Yay!
> 
> So yeah...I'll update again next Monday!


	7. It’s Just That Kind of World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, so early chapter is early because I will be out of town tomorrow and I figured you'd enjoy an early posting as opposed to a later one. So here it is!
> 
> Also, there are some mild warnings for this chapter.
>
>>   
> \- There is some bullying that goes on, exclusion from a group and the similar. Basically Corey's 'friends' end up being pretty shitty to him.  
> \- And once again Jim gets pretty handsy/creepy. Talk is also made of him making a brief attempt at sexual assault, though Corey quickly put it to an end so our boy is good and safe. I think it's fair to say Jim got what he deserved[.](https://middleageddm.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/rape-self-defense-knee-groin.gif)  
> 

Graduation had been a sombre day for Corey, Jim and the lot of his friends were now out of high school. There would be a few stragglers that would be seniors with Corey, but the numbers were down to what he could count on one hand. The last few days Corey had been staying with Jim and his family, which was both nice and awkward. Jim’s mother adored him to pieces and while it was nice to have that motherly affection directed at him the subtle hints about getting back together with her son he could have gone without. Then there was the affection from Jim. 

 

That too Corey would have happily lived without. 

 

When he had gotten to Jim’s that day he was soaked from the rain. Most of his stuff survived the downpour, only a few articles of clothing got wet and that he could deal with. Martha was ecstatic to see him and immediately rushed him into the house and ordered him out of his clothes and into a shower. When Corey had gone upstairs Jim was just coming out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around his waist and a satisfied grin on his lips. 

 

As they passed Jim had winked at him and patted him on the shoulder. Corey let the warm water wash over him for about ten minutes before he dried off and put on the loaned clothes that had appeared on the counter top. Dinner was uncomfortable to say the least, Corey explaining to Jim’s parents his situation. They happily extended him an offer of the spare room, which he eagerly accepted. 

 

At first Jim more or less left him alone, treated him just like any other friend but that quickly faded away and he cuddled right on up before three days were through. Corey let him but batted away wandering hands, giving the other teen harsh looks anytime Jim felt the need to goose him or similarly grope him. 

 

Suddenly the idea of punching Jim again was becoming more appealing by the day. 

 

Corey say with Jim’s siblings and parents during the graduation ceremony. Applauded when required of him but otherwise tried to ignore the bitter bile rising in his throat. Every time he saw a classmate walk across that stage and receive their diploma Corey couldn’t help but wish it was him up there. The ceremony almost lasted three hours, with all the dull speeches and reading of the names. When it was over Jim came up to them in his cap and gown, hugging his parents and informing them that he was stealing Corey away for the evening. One of the other guys was throwing a party and his presence was required. 

 

Luckily that party was less eventful than Harlan’s had been a number of weeks back. There was music and dancing, some light drinking but nothing more than that. Jim kept Corey close and chatted up his friends, ignoring the blond as if he were just an accessory on his arm. People spoke of their plans for the future, who was going away for college and who was staying. Summer was going to big, they promised. A number of the guys also gave Corey odd looks, but he shrugged them off in favor of paying attention to his third beer. 

 

“Yeah, we’re planning this big bonfire in a few weeks,” Ken spoke, he was a taller blond and was one of Jim’s ‘Right-Hand Men’. As if teenagers actually had that kind of thing. “Sorry you can’t make it, Core.” 

 

While Ken’s eyes did look genuinely sorry something about how he had said it rubbed Corey the wrong way. 

 

“What do you mean?” He asked, crossing his arms a little but remaining mindful of his beer. 

 

“Well, I guess I figured you’d be in Summer School or something,” Ken shrugged. “Plus, I mean, it’s not really cool to hang out with high schoolers...” 

 

Corey rose a brow. “Ken, I’m older than you.” 

 

Shrugging the other teen just shook his head. “I just don’t think it would be the best idea,” Turning his focus to Jim Ken looked at the arm he had looped around Corey’s waist. “And dating them is just plain creepy.”

 

“So, what, you guys are ditching me because it’s ‘uncool’ to hang out with school children?” Corey snapped out bitterly. 

 

Jim didn’t say anything but he did look away, Ken just shrugged again looking a little conflicted. 

 

Shrugging a little and finishing off his beer Corey nodded. “No, hey, it’s cool. I get it.” 

 

Pulling himself out of Jim’s grasp he slipped his hand into the boy’s pocket quickly to retrieve his keys and shoved them in his own. 

 

“It’s late, I’m going to head back,” Corey informed. “Us _children_ have a curfew you know.” 

 

Walking away from the two he waved a little to them, the gesture more of a subtle ‘fuck you’ than anything else. ‘Text me when you get back, I’ll let you in through the back.” 

 

After that things got tense between him and Jim. Well, more tense. 

 

The room Corey was occupying shared a wall with Jim’s room, the same wall that both their beds were pressed again. A thin wall. At times Corey could hear the other’s nightly rituals and occasional ‘guests’. Jim always flaunted his conquests the next day, or even that night if he was feeling especially cocky. Corey for the most part ignored him and continued his job hunt, now that it was summer and there was a fresh new wave of high school graduates looking for temporary work it made it even harder to find anything. 

 

He’d been staying with Jim and his family for almost two weeks when he decided he needed to leave. He hastily wrote out a note to Jim’s parents, thanking them for their hospitality and making up some bogus story about finding a new place to stay. Corey knew that they would be sad to see him go but he couldn’t stay at their house any longer. 

 

June was typically pretty dry and hot, but an off season storm came blowing in earlier that day, and Corey figured it would be just his luck to be stuck out in the rain once again. He had his one duffle but left his other bag behind, hadn’t wanted to go back and get it. That would have taken too much time and he had to get out of that house ASAP. 

 

Because of the storm coming in it was blustery and overcast, rain had yet to fall but it was going to start soon. Corey could see it out over the ocean, water just pouring down in a relentless curtain. This one was going to be a doozy. He’s thrown on a ratty hoodie that he owned and grabbed his leather jacket to put on over that, besides that he was just wearing a pair of flimsy jogging shorts and his shoes. 

 

Not really having anywhere else Corey just wandered, he’d found himself in Central Park for a few hours, just sitting on a bench and trying to think his next step. He’d been watching an older lady feed some ducks at the pond when he noticed his father walking through with another man. Corey’s dad was pretty high up in the construction company he worked for and commonly met with clients, which is what the teen assumed was going on. Not wanting to be seen he stealthily snuck off, finding a new destination elsewhere. 

 

Corey found himself down by the beach, walking the boardwalk. Few other people were there, seeking shelter from the winds and coming storm. His feet just kind of led him along, the teen grabbing a quick bite to eat from a vendor and then continuing his march. Corey realized that he had forgotten his phone back at Jim’s and was kicking himself for it. He didn’t really have any plans for the device but it would have provided him some comfort simply knowing he had it. 

 

The sky above rumbled just before five, a slight drizzle following shortly after. Corey stayed close to shops on the walkway, using their overhangs as simple shelters. Sometimes a person or two would run by, also caught out in the storm. 

 

Corey kept on walking, not really paying attention to where he was until he was right on the corner that was across from David’s gated community. The wrought iron fence still stood strong, looking both intimidating and elegant. Tall stone walls rose and wrapped around the area, tall conifers spiking up and blocking the views of the homes behind it. Even knowing who lived there Corey still couldn’t help but be a little wrapped up in awe. Newport was becoming a metropolis, but this amount of glamor just wasn’t quite there yet. 

 

A light drizzle had turned into rain and Corey tucked himself against a building on the corner and looked at the small guard post that sat before the gate. Corey was well on his way to being uncomfortably wet and was beyond the realm of miserable. His shoes had been squelching for the last few hours and the teen was seriously considering calling them a lost cause. 

 

Part of Corey’s mind supplied that he should just turn around and go back to Jim’s. He could probably explain his retreat away easily enough, but after what had happened earlier in the day Corey couldn’t bring himself to trust Jim at all. He hadn’t realized that he’d been standing there for so long until the street lights flicked on, the fading daylight meaning that it must have been getting rather late. Cutting his losses Corey waited for the lights to change and then he crossed the street. 

 

A guard wasn’t present in the little building to the left, but there was a small note saying that one would return the next morning. It was written on a small sticky and in thick black marker, clearly it was left in a rush. Corey frowned at that, hoping that the guard would at least let him borrow a phone so he could call David and hopefully get admittance to the complex. He hated that he was once again running to David for help —Corey didn’t want the older man to feel like that was all Corey was using him for— but at this point he was all out of options. Tossing his duffle bag down against the wall he tucked himself down on top of it, pulling his legs under the small amount of overhang the building offered. He was already pretty wet but that didn’t mean he couldn’t get wetter. 

 

The rain continued off and on for the next forty minutes, a torrential deluge lasting for about ten minutes before calming to a light drizzle. The sound of approaching tires caused the teen to look up into the headlights of a low vehicle, it slowed at the gate as the metal opened and stopped right next to him.

 

“Corey?” 

 

Eyes meeting familiar blue ones the teen ducked his head and nodded. “Hey.”

 

“God, Core, what are you doing out in this kind of weather?” David worried. “C’mon, get in. We’ll dry you off at mine. Then you have some explaining to do.”

 

The teen nodded at the grim tone the last sentence held. Picking his bag up off the ground Corey felt bad about getting the interior of David’s car dirty and wet, pausing at the door.

 

“It’s fine,” The man shook his head. “I’ll get it cleaned.”

 

 

Nodding again Corey gently climbed in and set the duffle in his lap. The car was warm on the inside, David’s natural musk filling the air. It comforted the teen in a way, the man’s presence providing a stable rock for him to focus on. David seemed tense, but calmly led the car to his garage and got out. 

 

“C’mon, Kid, let’s get you dry.”

 

Led to the door before the den Corey stopped as David instructed him. The man opened a small cabinet to the side and pulled out a large beach towel. The neon floral pattern almost made Corey chuckle but the stern behavior David had adopted made him too nervous to. 

 

“Here, get yourself out of those clothes,” Pointing to the machines behind them the man sighed. “The dryer is right there, feel free to put everything in.” Turning back to the door David paused. “I’ll see if I can find you something to wear.”

 

Corey was unsure how to feel about the man’s stiffness but followed instruction. Peeling off wet clothes the teen tossed them in the dryer and turned the machine on. He looked around for a moment before hanging his leather jacket on the closet door, it would need to be tended to at some point but he’d rather not keep David waiting. Wrapping the large towel around his waist Corey felt a little silly, but he figured that it was better than walking through a glass fronted building naked. Leaving his bag behind to dry Corey walked into the den, the aquarium’s lights were currently a blue, giving the impression of a full moon. A quick mental check told the teen that it was also a full moon in reality. 

 

“Well, I didn’t have much that was clean but my old gym clothes should fit fine.” David spoke coming back into the room with some shorts and a shirt.

 

“Thanks,” Corey smiled as he accepted the clothes. “Um, I have some of my own stuff in my bag too. But thank you.”

“No problem, Corey. You know where the bathroom is.”

 

Nodding the took the hint and went to the guest bathroom and got dressed. David had forgotten underwear but the teen wasn’t adverse to going commando on the rare occasion. The shorts fit okay around his waist once he pulled the drawstring tight but they reached far below his knees, the shirt was another story. The fabric was well worn and stretched, the material giving to the point of barely providing modesty. Corey contemplated just not wearing it but decided that it wouldn’t be polite. Coming back out he saw David at the oven in the kitchen. 

 

“Hey,” Corey smiled softly.

 

“Hey,” David glanced over his shoulder briefly. It was unusual, David was normally more animated. 

 

Sitting at the table Corey let his fingers draw little figures in the oak rings before a large mug was placed in front of him, steaming hot cocoa looking back at him.

 

“Um, thanks,” Corey looked up to see David’s eyes regarding him.

 

“Sure,” The man sat down with his own cup and looked at the brown liquid. “I’m not opposed to visitors, Corey, but can you explain to me why I come home to find you sitting on the curb in the rain?”

 

“There wasn’t a guard to let me in?” The teen tried to joke but only got dead silence in return. Sighing Corey took another approach. “You want the whole story or just the direct events?”

 

“Let’s start with today then work from there.” David prompted, blue eyes studying the teen.

“Okay,” Corey nodded. “Well, today...Um, well up ‘till today I was staying with Jim for a little bit—his parents lent me their spare room—and, well, you know he’s my ex. And that he’s kind of pushy,” That caused David to snort and mumble something in what Corey assumed to be Italian. “Right, so, it’s been kind of awkward, since our fight and all. You remember, that night of the party?” 

 

Once again David nodded, hands clutching tightly around his mug. Corey looked down at the man’s hand, they were big enough to easily wrap around the large cup and overlap, though the grip didn’t really look comfortable. 

 

“Yeah...so,” Corey continued. “Jim’s been playing hot and cold, which really isn’t new, and he’s always been kind of grabby, but this morning he was coming home from a party and he was clearly still pretty wasted...” 

 

“Okay,” David nodded, understanding. He seemed displeased by the notion but he gestured for Corey to continue.

 

“Okay, so Jim was feeling a little heated, and he came up into my room and started to flirt a little.” Corey shrugged. “And normally it’s not really a problem, Jim’s taller than me but I’m stronger than him. I tell him to back off and he does. Normally. Well this morning he didn’t...”

 

“Corey, did he—” David’s face filled with anger, his muscles tensing but Corey quickly cut him off. 

 

“No!” The teen made sure to cut that line of thought at the knees, shaking his head. “No, I mean, I guess you could say he tried but nothing happened,” Looking down at his drink Corey swirled it a little. “Let’s just say that I gave him a little incentive to leave me alone and then just grabbed my stuff and took off.” 

 

 

Looking up into David’s eyes Corey felt bad, seeing the look of righteous anger mixed with misplaced guilt. “I didn’t really mean to end up here, I promise. It just kind of happened...” 

 

David waved it off easily.

 

“Why didn’t you just call?” He asked.

 

“I forgot my phone at Jim’s.” The blond shrugged. 

 

“Okay, so what were you doing at his house in the first place?” David leaned back in his chair, arms crossing over his chest as a frown lowered on his face. “Last time we spoke you were staying at your brother’s.” 

 

Instant teen rebellion flared in Corey’s mind for the briefest of moments before he sank in his seat and shook his head. 

 

“Uh, well, about that...” Corey shrugged softly, a mild smile tinting his lips. “I’m going to be an uncle.” 

 

David smiled a little. “Congratulations.” 

 

Nodding his thanks Corey continued his saga. “So, it was decided that maybe I should move out so that they could have the room for the nursery.”

 

“Okay, and how long ago was that?” David asked, fist clenching on his arms. 

 

“A few weeks?” Corey scratched at his neck, thinking on the dates. “Yeah.”

The blond saw the look in David’s eyes change, not exactly pity but more than concern. Drinking the cocoa the warm drink helped his body regulate back to its normal standards, he tried to ignore the looks he was getting but eventually broke down.

 

“Okay, so I didn’t come here for pity or hand outs or anything,” Corey immediately protested. “I’ve been kind of shit out of luck for a little while now. I’ve been looking for work and messing up school because of it. My ex has made it impossible to deal with him any more. I’m not allowed to go back home because my dad is a homophobic asshole. My grandfather’s the only reason I have any form of insurance or phone or anything. Aaand now I’m sitting in a porn star’s kitchen!” Shoulders falling the teen just sighed. “They say that life opens doors for you when you need it to, but I kind of want to know when that will start...”

 

Corey deflated after his small little rant, hand flat down against the table as he stared at them. Silence stretch on for a few moments before David’s large hand came into view and covered his own, their warmth spreading smoothly up Corey’s arms. They squeezed gently but reassuringly. 

 

“It starts now.” 

 

Looking up Corey saw the sincerity in the man’s eyes and smiled softly in return. 

 

 

* * *

 

David sat across from the teen at his table, one hand completely enveloping both of Corey’s. His fingers were still a little cold but David knew that it would wear off soon enough. The man hadn’t been expecting to come home to a kid on his stoop, but life seemed to like proving him wrong. When he first saw Corey out in the rain he was confused and worried but now he was just concerned and enraged. Not at the teen, no he couldn't fault Corey for his life, but those around him who allowed it to happen, he blamed them. 

 

David’s mind buzzed with thoughts, curses to those who failed to protect his boy. That title had slotted into place after he drove out in the middle of the night to pick Corey up from that party. They’d been in contact since they met, bantered back and forth easily and chatted from time to time on the phone. Not as much recently, but David was more than willing to understand that Corey had been busy. He just wished he had known with what, now that he did David couldn’t help but feel as if he failed him too somehow. 

 

Due to his work David hadn’t really gotten close enough to somebody to begin developing romantic feelings towards them (with very few exceptions). Most people wanted to get close so they could say that they slept with a ‘celebrity’, others wanted nothing to do with him due to that fame. But Corey was different, to David the teen was something he logged away as valuable, it wasn’t a form of adult love yet and it was far from lust. It was a fondness, something that David knew he could cultivate with time into honest affection that would grow into love. He guessed he could call it a crush? Perhaps an innocent infatuation that made him want to pull Corey in under his protection. 

 

The day after the party, when David had drowsily demanded that Corey share the downstairs mattress with him he couldn’t deny that something about the teen fit. And part of that made David feel _horrible_. Sure, Corey was seventeen but that was still considered underage, and if there was one thing David was deadly serious about it was that age gap. He’d damn near beat the crap out of his own little brother for dating a younger girl back when he was still in college. 

 

Looking into Corey’s eyes David knew right then and there what he needed to do. He would step up and be there for this kid. Corey needed somebody to stand by him, be his stable rock so that he could set down his own roots and figure out who he was in this world. David would be that rock, he would be Corey’s champion in his corner to help his fight against the demons of the world that would keep him down in the mud. David had been given those chances simply by belonging to a wealthy family and making strong decisions and it was time to put that luck back out into the world. 

 

He looked past his attraction and fondness, David was not so shallow as to expect anything in return for his shelter. Should Corey decided later in life that David was the one he would chose he would gladly accept but until then David could put his feelings aside for the boy’s chance at life. 

 

Letting go of Corey’s hands David stood. “I was going to order in some pizza and Reidar was going to bring the beer, but I can cancel if you want.” 

 

The teen looked up at him and bit his lower lip, looking off in consideration. David doubted the kid even knew what he was doing, how cute it made him look. Still not hot, but definitely the precursor to it. 

 

“Um, no, that’s okay.” Corey spoke. “You have plans, you don’t have to change them.” 

 

Nodding in confirmation David walked to his phone resting on the counter, tapping on it a few times as he ordered a pizza. 

 

“You’re staying here tonight.” He informed, confirming his order and switching apps to text Reidar. 

 

David noticed that Corey didn’t debate the fact that he was expected to stay the night, watching the teen from the corner of his eye. He appeared a little downtrodden but ultimately just tired, perhaps a little relieved. 

 

Leaning against the counters David took the time to observe Corey some more. He wasn’t as small as he had originally thought, just short. Sometimes David forgot that he was larger than average, most people he dealt with daily were roughly his size, Neal was the shortest at just shy of six foot. Though the man made up for it by being a regular ol’ fireplug. David made a living off his body so he used a lot of his free time at the gym or at the beach— as did the people he most often saw on a day to day basis—and it looked like Corey wasn’t that much different. He was young so his body hadn’t been able to grow much but he had the foundation for a nice shape. 

 

Knocking on the door broke both out of their own thoughts, the loud thumps echoing through the house. Sighing David shook his head, he had told Reidar that he didn’t need to pound so heavily on the door but the Norwegian kept to his ways. Leaving Corey in the kitchen he answered the door and greeted his friend with a large hug which was readily returned. Reidar was the newest to the studio, having signed on just a little over a year ago. Since then the two of them had become fast friends and David couldn’t deny that him and Reidar had a close bond. Due to his foreign up bringing Reidar sometimes missed American mannerisms or turns of phrase, despite having a dual citizenship due to his father Reidar and his family had only visited here from Norway a handful of times. 

 

Reidar had an inch even on David himself, causing him to absolutely tower over damn near everyone else. Blond hair that hung down to his shoulders was rounded off with mid-blue eyes and a blindingly bright smile. Had the man not been so boisterous and kindhearted Reidar would have struck an intimidating figure. David had him on muscle definition but Reidar had that hard, farm-earned look down pat. 

 

Also, the accent was just about the sexiest thing David had ever found. 

 

“Evening greetings to you, David!” The blond boomed, raising up two six packs of beer. Thursday nights were theirs to bond over sports and beer, sometimes with Daren joining them. 

 

“Hey, Reidar,” David smiled and led them into the den. “So, I tried to text you about a mild change in plans. I have a guest.” 

 

“Oh?” Blue eyes sparkled. “You dog!” Reidar shoulder checked him hard enough that had David been anyone else he’d probably toppled over. 

 

Hanging around Reidar was dangerous like that.

 

It took David a moment to catch up to the blond’s fervor and quickly shook his head. 

 

“No, just a friend down on his luck.” The man corrected, making sure his words and meaning were clear. 

 

Nodding the Reidar seemed to understand. It was something that David still occasionally held some reservations on, the other was a still new enough to the US and even though he had a strong sense of English some sayings still escaped him. 

 

As they entered the kitchen David smirked slightly as he saw Corey’s eyes widen. He could only guess what was going on in the teen’s head. 

 

“Hello, friend of David.” Reidar smiled, teeth and all. It was what won the foreigner awards after all. 

 

David knew full well that Reidar was guilty of hamming up his accent and his foreign allure to come off as less frightening or flirty. The man was a guiltless flirt, playing well into his roles to earn fondness. 

 

“Um, hi.” The teen’s voice was meek.

 

“Reidar, this is Corey, he’ll be here a little while.” David introduced. “Core, I’m guessing you recognize my friend?”

 

Blushing the teen nodded, looking down at the table as the larger blond just laughed. 

 

“Ah, the little one is a fan!” Reidar laughed and put the beer in the fridge. “Tonight shall be most fun.”

 

David rolled his eyes and bent down to talk to Corey personally. 

 

“Hey, don’t mind him. Reidar’s a little...well, once he gets used to you he’ll mellow out.” 

 

Corey eyed the large man bumbling about the refrigerator, David could see the blatant attraction to his fellow star. 

 

“Doesn’t he look a lot like...?” The teen finally asked looking back over. 

 

“That seems to be the general opinion, yes.” David nodded, indeed his friend did resemble a certain blond ‘god’ quite well. 

 

“So, what is on tonight?” Reidar asked, leaning out of the fridge three beers easily held in his grasp.

 

“Football.” David frowned at the third drink and shook his head. “No alcohol for the _minor_.” 

 

It took the Reidar a moment to understand the emphasis that David implied but then laughed and tapped his nose, acknowledging the meaning. Granted at no point had David ever informed his friend about Corey’s age, so it wasn’t that big of a slip up, but he also knew that sometimes Reidar forgot about the cultural differences between his homeland and America. In all actually—from the numerous conversations that he’d had with the man— David knew that Reidar was intelligent, it was just social and language barriers that made him sometimes seem otherwise.

 

Reidar instantly seemed to take a liking to the younger blond, commenting that he reminded him of his younger brothers back home. Arm thrown over a shoulder and held tight to his side the man led Corey out of the kitchen to the entertainment room, the action was brotherly in such a way David wasn’t particularly worried. Reidar also sometimes forgot personal boundaries existed, but on a whole he was just a tactile person. Plunked down onto the couch between the two large men Corey seemed uncomfortable for a little bit as the recorded game began to play but then he settled, leaning into Reidar. 

 

David and his friend cheered on the television, both rooting for the same team as the ball was run from side to side. It was about halftime that David felt Corey tuck his feet his under his thigh. Looking over the boy looked content. Reidar’s arm laying over his shoulders and relaxed at the side, David’s own arm was stretched over the back of the couch. Corey noticed him staring and looked over with a shy smile, David smiled back then focused on the game. The night went on for another hour like that before Reidar nudged his arm, nodding down to guide his attention. 

 

Corey had dozed off and was snuggled in between them, even with his slight buzz going on from the beer the sight brought flutters to his chest. It seemed right, to have his boy and a good friend all in one spot, all comfortable and cozy. It made the man smile, Reidar chuckling in response. 

 

“I believe the little one is tuckered out.” The blonds accented voice was soft. Neither of them knew how long ago the teen knocked out and they hadn’t really been quiet durning the game but neither wanted to disturb the peace. 

 

“Yeah...” David smiled softly. 

 

“So, he is the one you spoke of?” Reidar looked over at his friend, intelligent eyes piercing him.“Your ‘friend’.” 

 

“Yeah.” The brunette nodded. “We’ve been chatting a little over a month now, there’s just something about him.”

 

“Perhaps it is because he accepts you for who you are, not judges for what you do.” Reidar shrugged, he had his fingers trailing in the lighter blond on top of Corey’s head.

 

Nodding in response David contemplated it, over the years he had encountered plenty of individuals who just wanted to know the actor not the man. Not that David really minded, he wasn’t shy about taking a fan or two for a spin, but it got old. Deep down he wanted to settle down, have a family. Someday he was hoping to find the other half of that equation, and was beginning to think he had. Or at least he hoped. 

 

Looking up at his friend David smiled softly. “You want to just stay here tonight?” Glancing out the darkened window he saw water cascading down the pane. “It’s raining pretty hard.”

 

“Certainly.” Reidar nodded. 

 

“Okay,” David smirked and nudged the teen. “Hey, Core, gotta get up for a little bit.”

 

The teen grumbled and waved his hand at David in rebellion, snuggling further down into Reidar’s side causing him to laugh.

 

“No, little one, it is time to wake up.” The large blond playfully scolded and roused the teen by shaking him gently. When that didn’t work Reidar resorted to tickling. 

 

“Don’ wanna.” Corey protested but sat up partially, trying to swat away Reidar’s teasing fingers. 

 

“The guest room isn’t really set up for people right now,” David explained. “I need to set it up for you and I can’t pull it out with you on top of it.” 

 

“M’kay.” Corey agreed as he sat up further, shooting Reidar a glare when the man continued to poke at him. He didn’t jerk away so David assumed the teen wasn’t ticklish.  

 

“Come, Corey,” Reidar pulled himself and Corey up off the couch. “Let’s allow David to sort things for you.” 

 

The man in question snorted when he saw his friend lead the smaller blond back into the den, Reidar instantly springing into a tale that David was sure would end up embarrassing him in the long run. Pulling down the couch it folded into a double sized mattress, not ideal for men his size but it work just fine for Corey. Next to the couch was a chest that held blankets, choosing three and laying them out the man stood to examine his work finding it satisfactory. 

 

Joining the other two in the den he noticed that Corey was watching Reidar with rapt attention, the larger blond having removed his shirt and stood in just grey jeans. Animated hands wove through the air as the Norwegian regaled his tale, David leaning on the doorframe to simply watch. Judging by the gestures Reidar was talking about his first shoot in America, David had been there to supervise and assess. Reidar’s co-star had been ecstatic to be filming with the large blond but the language barrier led to a few misunderstandings. In the end it worked out to be a decent shoot, not what they expected but it blew their web traffic through the roof. David hadn’t even considered pop culture when he introduced Reidar to the scene but it seemed that the timing couldn’t have been any better. 

 

“Reid,” David spoke gently, glancing over to a clock. The face read just before eleven. “I think maybe we should get ready for bed.” 

 

Coming to the same conclusion the blond man nodded and went to the entertainment room to retrieve blankets of his own. As usual he set up on the couch right next to the aquarium, the large man saying that he liked the sounds of the water reminding him of home. David knew a lot about Reidar and his home, both here and in Norway, in America his house was rather spartan but across the sea his family was one of warmth and decoration. He didn’t know it yet but the studios were planning on flying Reidar’s family to America for a week around his birthday. 

 

Corey walked up to David and smiled tiredly at him. “Thanks.”

 

“You’re welcome,” He smiled back, guiding the teen back into the next room. “You’ve got a place here. Plus I think Reidar wants to keep you.” 

 

The whispered tone caused Corey to laugh, the teen blushing slightly as he flopped down on the bed. 

 

“Night Corey,” David spoke as he got to the base of the stairs.

 

“Good night.” The teen responded.

 

“Don’t let the bugs of the bed bite you!” Reidar joyfully inputed in the dark. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, hope you all enjoyed the early installment of 'Steel Studios'! 
> 
> Now that Corey's hit rock bottom he's beginning to work his way back up, and now that he had David at his back you can bet that his recovery will be quick. 
> 
> And yes, I will shamelessly admit that our beloved Reidar is meant to resemble a certain actor who may or may not have been in 'Thor'. 
> 
> Questions, Comments, and Kudos welcome!


	8. Good Friends and Bedfellows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, so I am so sorry for not updating this in so long. Real life got pretty real there all of a sudden and threw off my groove. But I am hopefully getting it back and will be on track again next week. 
> 
> At this point the chapter is unedited.

Settling down for the night was surprisingly easy to Corey. The last two weeks had been hard, having Jim constantly around was stressful and it reflected in his sleeping patterns. Even with the rain pouring down outside Corey could hear the gentle undulations of the tank in the other room as well as the crashing waves at the end of the property. It was soothing, a constant background sound that was like the white noise of the city without the random car horn or shout. 

 

Corey also tried to pretend that it had nothing to do with the scent of the couch. The thing was leather, which was already a somewhat pleasant scent to the teen, but the cushions that made up the actual bedroll held in them David’s own smell. Had he been more alert the teen probably would have realized how creepy it sounded but he liked how David smelled, masculine and warm. He couldn’t describe it as anything else, there was that tint of some sort of body wash and cologne but they were just undertones to the whole thing. 

 

David had slept on the right side that time that Corey and him had shared the bed and his scent still clung there as Corey curled up, tucking his face in. Reidar was softly snoring in the background, a little fitfully but on a whole it was just a soft rumble. The combination of it all allowed his mind a calming lull and sleep to slowly come. 

 

Years of living in the city had made Corey a bit of a light sleeper, so when footsteps passed him around midnight the teen roused slightly. The sound of the toilet flushing a few moments later led him to believe that Reidar had simply needed to go to the restroom and Corey went back to dozing. The man’s foot falls were a little heavy on his return, though giving his size that was easily forgivable, but they stopped at the entrance of the entertainment room. 

 

Corey looked up a little, his eyes barely opening and not seeing much but a fuzzy outline of the man standing in the doorway. “Reidar?” 

 

The man’s gentle rumble was his only reply, a sleepy but responsive sound. 

 

“You okay?” Corey asked, rubbing at his eyes to look up at the man better. Reidar’s hair was all down and slightly disheveled, he stood there in a pair of jeans. Unlike David who was smooth chested Reidar sported a velvety layer of light blond hair, Corey couldn’t see it in the dark but he knew it was there. 

 

“No,” Reidar mumbled. “I let it slip my mind that I never fit well to the couches here.” 

 

“Oh,” The teen nodded, feeling bad. He himself was rather short, he fit practically 

anywhere. But Reidar was a lot bigger, taller than David and overall broader. “Um, would you like to sleep here? I could move to the couch.”

 

“I would not take your bed from you.” Reidar shook his head. “I merely wished to check that you were sleeping well.”

 

“Here,” Corey scooted over from the middle to the side closer to the window. “There is plenty of room, we can share.”

 

There really wasn’t, the double mattress had been a tight fit when he shared it with David a few weeks back but Corey wouldn’t mind. He was no stranger to sharing a bed with somebody and Reidar seemed like a nice enough guy. Anybody who had David’s trust Corey felt like he could put faith in to as well. 

“Surely?”Reidar shuffled a little on his bare feet. Corey couldn’t deny that it was endearing. 

 

“Yeah,” Corey yawned and cuddled down to his side. “But no funny business.”

“Nay,” Reidar smiled, lifting up the covers and slipping in. “You need not fear.” 

 

Corey listened to the man settle, because of the small size of the mattress they were awfully close, body heat coming off the Norwegian in waves. Rustling brought the teen out of his daze, the sound of buttons and a zipper following. The man next to him sighed and the heavy sound of denim hit the floor. Swallowing slightly Corey felt his ears burn, knowing that he was in bed with a nearly naked porn star. 

 

And wouldn’t _that_ look great in his memoirs someday? 

 

“Much better.” Reidar hummed, rolling to his side. “Do you not wish to be more comfortable?”

 

“I wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” Corey declined, it was true that the borrowed shirt felt odd in his sleep due to the fact that he never wore more than boxers to bed. The shorts would stay as there was nothing else on under them. 

 

“It will bother me none.” The large blond yawned, stretching some and letting his body rest.

 

“Okay, if you are sure.” The teen nodded, reaching up to pull off his shirt. Corey sighed when the cool air hit his chest, sending a chill down his spine before letting him settle more comfortably. 

 

“Better?” Reidar sleepily purred. 

 

“Yeah.” Corey nodded.

 

“Good,” Reidar smugly replied. “Sleep well.”

 

“You too.”

Corey watched his bedmate for a few moments while sleep returned to him. Reidar was turned towards him, head resting on a curled bicep and hair pooling out around him. It made Corey think of a lion, which brought him a smile. 

 

Sleep found the teen quickly this time as well, the now closer sounds of Reidar’s snores more comforting than disturbing. Really it was more like very heavy breathing with a slight tremble, giving the illusion of a large sleeping cat more strength. Corey used to share the bed with his brother back when they were younger, usually by choice since they both had their own. Sleeping his Jr. was different because they were family, there was closeness in spirit rather than physical touch. Jim also like to share a bed whenever they would have sleepovers or when they had been dating. In that case the physical touch was enjoyed, Corey liked resting close up against another. 

 

Around three in the morning he was jostled slightly as Reidar snuggled up against his back, moulding around him. At some point Corey must have turned over and the large blond apparently liked being the big spoon. Corey didn’t complain, the man was warm and fit right up against him well. That and in those moments of blurry awareness Corey did believe that he developed a bit of a crush on the man’s chest hair. 

 

Morning was met a little awkwardly as Corey woke, still snuggled up against Reidar’s chest. Again the teen had turned and was now face to chest with the foreigner. Their legs were intertwined and other parts seemed content to mingle as well, granted one seem much more interested than the other. Blushing the teen tried to pull away but the arms around him tightened. 

 

“Good morning, Little One.” Reidar chuckled, his eyes lazily opened into a warm grin. 

 

Corey was frozen, green eyes caught on the sleepy slate blues looking back at him. Reidar was warm and comfortable from sleep, the large man cozying up and pulling then teen in without a second thought. Tucked under the man’s chin Corey felt his own heart pick up speed as he felt other parts of the foreigner's anatomy press into him as they woke. 

 

“Reidar, let Corey go,” David’s voice blearily spoke up from beyond the blond’s shoulder. “There’s a reason none of the other guys ever bunk with you on trips.” 

 

“It is because they are intimidated by my greatness.” Reidar responded. 

 

David muttered something in Italian, then English. “Greatness, sure, we’ll call it that.” 

 

Reidar chuckled as he released his grip and rolled over onto his back. The blond stretched like a large languid cat before casting a grin to Corey. “Besides, I do not think Corey minded.” 

 

Corey blushed slightly causing the two men in the room to laugh. 

 

“I’ll give you guys a couple minutes to calm down,” David rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen. “Coffee will be ready in a few.” 

 

Corey sat up and fished around the floor for the shirt he was wearing earlier, giving himself some time to will his inopportune visitor away. 

 

“I hope I did not embarrass you,” Reidar spoke gently, sitting up and looking over. “It was not my intention.” 

 

“Um, no,” Corey shook his head, tugging on the old shirt. “I guess I’m just not used to waking up next to guys like you.” 

“Shame,” The large blond chuckled, shamelessly stepping out from the covers. His boxer-briefs were dark blue but didn’t hide much or provide any illusion to what Corey was looking at. Not that the teen didn’t know what hid underneath. “Any man should be happy to find a lad such as yourself in his bed.” 

 

“Um, thanks...I think.” The teen blushed slightly and looked at his covered lap. 

 

“Corey, what do you want to do for breakfast?” David leaned on the short wall between the rooms, cup of coffee in hand. 

 

The Corey wasn’t sure what to say when Reidar walked around the wall and draped himself over David’s back using his long arms to steal the man’s coffee and take a pull. Thoughts buzzed in his head before deep chuckling broke his daydreaming. 

 

“It looks like the young one likes what he sees.” Reidar chuckled, still lazily sprawled. 

 

The fact that David was shirtless didn’t help either. The guy’s chest was broad and defined with more muscle than Corey had seen. He himself had definition, enough that he was proud to be above the curve for his age but seeing the two gym stacked bodied in front of him made him feel small. 

 

“Uhhh,” Corey tried to let his mind catch up before he spoke. Sliding out of bed himself the teen walked a little awkwardly to the kitchen, busying himself with the coffee machine. “Just not really used to seeing two guys like you, you know, together.” 

 

Reidar laughed loudly and he came over and patted the shorter blond on the back. “Yes, our fans do seem to like it very much.” Darker blue eyes cast a tease wink to lighter. 

“The studio’s been harassing us to do another shoot together since that last one.” David griped, now turned and leaning against the low wall. He was only wearing low riding silk sleep pants, the elastic of his briefs peeking over them. The bright red was a little jarring but somehow managed to add a human element to the otherwise online superstar. 

 

Corey damn near choked on the coffee he had just began to sip. Eyebrows raising sharply he looked wide eyed at the two men. “You two have done a scene, like, both of you? _Together_?” 

 

He wasn’t going to comment on his voice deciding to choose that exact moment to crack. 

 

Reidar laughed and nodded fondly, arm wrapping around David’s shoulders. “Those were good times.” He reminisced. 

 

David smirked at his friend and then sent Corey a wink. Corey got the idea that it amused the man to know that the teen was an avid fan of his work. If he told the truth Corey honestly loved practically all of the Steel videos he had seen, a few of them weren’t his scene but anything in it with David he was willing to try. But according to the new information he hadn’t seen them all yet. 

 

“I propose that I make us pancakes,” Reidar announced already bustling about the kitchen, still in only his underwear. “It is least I can do for your hospitality.” 

 

Corey was a little entranced by the tight undergarments and how they showed a prominent bulge in the front and two wondrous globes in the back. Watching Reidar move was fascinating, a man clearly familiar with his own size and strength as he powerfully yet gracefully moved about. 

 

“Sounds great,” David smiled at his friend, his own eyes dipping down to enjoy the view as well,then he looked over at Corey. “So, what are your plans for the day?”

 

Corey moved to the far wall so he was out of Reidar’s way, the large blond being a man on a mission now, then shrugged. He really didn’t know what his plans were. 

 

“Not sure,” The teen watched as Reidar danced slightly, now donning an apron. Honestly, it should have looked ridiculous but Corey was beginning to feel like there was no such thing with that man. Meeting David’s eyes the teen sighed. “I’ll probably look around some more for work, I’m free for the summer but I really need to find something as soon as I can.” 

 

“You are looking for a job?” Reidar looked over his shoulder. When Corey nodded the large blond looked to David and shrugged. “The Studio is hiring.” 

 

“I am not letting Corey do _that_ ,” David immediately bristled. “Besides, he isn’t even of age.” 

 

“No, you misunderstand, my friend,” Reidar shook his head as he whisked together ingredients. Leaning against the counter and holding the bowl to his hip he managed to look so casual in the kitchen. “I was speaking with Corrine the other day, she said that she was a little short handed since her last intern graduated. Corey could easily learn the trade.” 

 

David ended up looking down at his coffee cup, clearly the man was running over his thoughts. Corey stayed silent, though when he looked over at Reidar the other blond just smiled easily and winked. The teen had no idea who Corrine was, or even what she did, but he trusted Reidar enough to not lead him astray. Plus, a job was a job and Corey was willing to take what he could get. 

 

“So long as he is not on set during a shoot it should be fine.” David finally nodded pulling out of his own head. 

“Indeed,” Reidar smirked, content with pouring small pancakes onto the hot griddle. They looked like they had small chunks of fruit and something else in them. “She also mentioned that backstage was looking for Runners.”

 

Corey thought about what he knew of a movie set and began to wonder how different it was from an ‘Adult’ set. The teen knew they were filmed a little differently but assumed some of the basic set up was similar. 

 

“If my age is the issue I do turn eighteen in a little over a month.” Corey finally inputted. 

 

“That is most fortunate.” Reidar nodded, casually monitoring the pancakes. “We shall have to do something to commemorate such an event.” 

 

Nodding along David smiled, moving to get cutlery and set the table. “Eighteen is a pretty big year. 

 

Corey smiled a little and looked down at his mug. “That would be nice, thanks.” 

 

“Of course, Core,” David spoke softly as if the kindness was something that shouldn’t come as a shock. “And that does make it a little easier.” He leaned against a chair, gesturing for Corey to come sit down. “We might have to tie some paperwork up in red tape officially, but I’m sure we can figure something out. I’ll talk to Vann after breakfast. That is, if you would like me to, Corey.” 

 

Corey came over to a chair and sat himself down, he thought to offer Reidar some help but the man seemed perfect capable on his own. David was still looking at him, head tilted slightly in question.Corey reflected on their conversation, he had little idea what he’d be doing on set but he was willing to take it. He’d never thought he’d be getting involved in the pornography business, but Corey figured he was at least on this side of the camera. 

 

Which immediately made him feel bad. David was a godsend and Reidar was such a nice person, just because they were on the ‘wrong’ side of the camera didn’t make them bad people. It was their job, that was it. No different than anyone else. 

 

“What would I be doing?” Corey eventually asked, wanting a little more information. 

 

“Corrine is our light technician,” Reidar spoke as he piled finished pancakes high onto a plate. They all looked to be damn near perfectly circular, clearly the man had practice. “She rigs the lights for our scenes as she sees fit as well as directs several other people in similar tasks. Corrine is a strong woman, not one to be trifled with, but a good boss.” 

 

David laughed and nodded. “That’s one way to put it,” He looked over to Corey. “She’s the only person I’ve ever seen argue with my sister and live.” 

 

“You exaggerate,” Reidar strolled up to the table and dolled out breakfast. “Giovanna is a lovely woman.” 

 

“You don’t get a say in the matter,” David countered, grumping a little at the other. “You butter my sister up with foreign chocolate and shopping trips.” 

 

“Is a small price to stay on the right side of her sharp tongue.” Reidar shamelessly shrugged.

 

Rolling his eyes David turned his focus back onto Corey. “Chances are you’d probably start off as Corrine’s personal assistant, her current one getting a promotion to higher up on her team. Basically you’d be running all over the studios and doing things for her that she might be too busy to do.” 

 

“So long as it is on site,” Reidar sagely put in. “Corrine cannot use her position to ask you to see to any of her extracurricular needs.” 

 

“Is that something she is known for?” Corey worriedly asked. The smell coming up from his plate was heavenly, but he ignored it for the conversation at hand. 

 

“She has bullied off a few assistants that she hasn’t liked in the past,” David thought on it. “Though she will like you, Core, so long as you’re willing to work up to her expectations and not steal her donuts.” 

 

“I think I can manage that.” Corey nodded. Frowning a little at the next question that came to mind he felt bad but the teen had to ask. “Uh, I know this sounds kind of rude, but how would this work show up on a resumé?”

 

The two men looked at him and burst out laughing, Reidar even pounded on the table with his fist. Corey hadn’t thought it was that funny but chuckled along. 

 

“You would simply be listed under employment at Steel Studios, nobody would know what branch you worked for unless you told them.” David reassured. 

 

“Steel has it’s fingers in many places,” Reidar informed as he prepared his meal. “It could be a very beneficial company to work for. They take care of their own.”

 

Nodding along David chewed on his pancakes a little. “Sure, Hell, even Reidar and I are on that database. Granted we are much more _public_ figures, if you will, but I’m the only one that has my name directly attached to my alias online.” 

 

“Really?” Corey smirked. 

 

“Surely,” Reidar nodded, enjoying his own breakfast. “When you type in my name all you shall find is a few articles that I had published back in college and a few newspaper clippings that speak of some of the awards I won.” 

 

Corey tilted his head hoping for clarification. Since Reidar had his mouth full David answered for him. 

 

“Reidar’s not just a pretty face, he’s actually a holder of several degrees in Natural Sciences as well as a somewhat well awarded football player.” 

 

“I believe you call it soccer here.” Reidar injected as he cleared his throat. 

 

Smiling a little Corey let his questions roll aside and looked at the plate in front of him. His mouth almost watered at the sight. Reidar had apparently made himself busy putting not only strawberries into the pancake mix but white chocolate chips as well. 

 

“How has nobody married you yet?” The teen asked in wonder at the first bite. 

 

Reidar boomed with laughter but shook his head. “I am not ready for that life just yet, Little One.”

 

“So?” David prompted looking at Corey expectantly. 

“Um, yeah. I mean, if it wouldn’t put you in any hot water or anything,” The teej cleared his throat a little. “I was thinking about going to N.A.F. when I graduated actually. Can’t hurt to get a head start in the industry.” 

 

“Great,” David smiled. “I will call my sister after breakfast and see if I can set up an interview.” 

 

“Like we don’t already know he’s got a job there if you want it.” Reidar mused under his breath. 

 

That had caused David to level him with a mild glare and only cause a few more questions pop up in Corey’s mind. But for now he had breakfast to finish.

 

Breakfast was a comfortable affair, David and Reidar chatted back and forth amiably catching up on lost time or recapping previous events. Corey got the distinct impression that Reidar was more than just an actor for the studios, the way he spoke about the business was too formal and involved to be just on one side of the camera. Every so often David would cast him a look and wink at him, keeping up with his friend but letting Corey know that he wasn’t forgotten. 

 

Once they were done eating Corey announced that he would do the dishes since Reidar cooked. David tried to weasel his way into doing the chore by saying that guests shouldn’t have to do them. He didn’t win that argument and Reidar quickly shooed him away reminding David that he was supposed to be calling his sister and that he’d possibly want to put a shirt on before doing so. 

 

Alone with the larger blond Corey cast him a slight glance before setting dishes in the sink and running water over them. Reidar leaned against the stove, arms easily crossed as he watched on with a soft smile. 

 

“So, tell me about you.” The Norwegian finally spoke after a few minutes.

 

“Uh, not really much to tell,” Corey easily shrugged. “What do you want to know?” 

 

Then teen felt a little nervous as Reidar looked at him, studied him, he couldn’t really help but wonder what the older man found. 

 

“Well, David does not speak of you all that much, he has kept...secrets from the rest of us. Which I assure you is odd,” Reidar mused, seeming to choose his words carefully as he spoke. “We all knew that he had acquired a new friend, but I will admit I was a little shocked to see someone of such a young age.” 

 

Corey looked down to the plate he was washing and nodded. “Yeah, I guess I am.” 

 

“Your youth is not so much the issue, you understand this?” The large blond rolled his shoulders in what might have been a shrug. “The worry comes from your intentions.” 

 

Shooting a look over to Reidar Corey was a little stunned by the stony look upon the man’s face. Reidar was so jovial and openly friendly that he wasn’t sure what to do with the man’s portrayal of the other side of the spectrum. 

 

“Intentions?” The teen played dumb and continued with his job. 

 

“Corey, David is a very good man, has a habit of helping people,” Reidar’s voice was low as he explained. He was looking down at his own bare feet as he spoke, looking troubled. “It has helped some of us that he has grown fond of, but there have also been many others that have taken advantage of his good will.” 

 

“Reidar, I don’t...” Shaking his head Corey set down the dish he was washing and wiped his hands dry. “I would never do that to David. I’ll admit, I will happy crash on his couch as long as I can until I can find a place or something, but that’s not why I started talking to him.” 

 

Nodding a little Reidar smiled. “Yes, David did mention that you’ve had a bit of rough luck...” 

 

Chuckling a littler bitterly Corey nodded and went back to the sink. “Yeah, life has taken a liking to kicking me in the balls lately...” 

 

“Well, that I assure you is over,” Reidar’s smile widened as he pushed up off the stove and stretched. “David is very fond of you, protective. He holds his cards close at times, but it is clear that he adores you.” 

 

Blushing the blond teen looked down and shrugged a little. “You make it sound like we’re a couple or something.” 

 

“Perhaps not a couple,” Reidar mused. “Yet, at least.” 

 

Corey shot Reidar a look noticing the impetuous little grin the larger man wore. Snapping the dishtowel at him in retaliation the teen rolled his eyes. 

 

“I was actually getting a vibe that you and David were... _Familiar_.” 

 

The booming laugh that erupted from Reidar’s chest was unexpected and Corey turned to him in question. 

 

“Yes, I guess you could say that David and I are ‘ _Familiar_ ’,” Twinkling behind honest blue eyes let the teen relax at the easy tease. “We have worked together several times and have spent much time off screen as well. But if anything we are open minded enough to acknowledge that it is possible to care for another just as much.”

 

“So, you’re saying that you and David are basically friends with benefits?” Corey followed, he was familiar with the term. Most teenagers these days were, but at his age most of the people he knew tried to keep it as if it were the world’s worst kept secret. Reidar claiming it so casually was a little harder to grasp.

 

The larger man seemed to consider the term, weighing its value in his mind. 

 

“I believe it would be more accurate to say that we are in a very open relationship,” Reidar finally settled on, rubbing at the whiskers on his chin. “David and I are close, and yes we are friends, sometimes we are at ease where we interact simply as friends, other times we are more intimate. With our occupations the act of jealousy would surely be inevitable and is sometimes the green eyed monster does appear, but we are secure enough in each other to place a vast amount of trust.” 

 

Corey nodded and crossed his arms. “You joked earlier that it was a ‘yet’, what did you mean by that?” 

 

Reidar paused and studied Corey for a moment before shrugging with ease. “I was simply stating that David has shown a great amount of fondness towards you and it would not surprise me should you two couple. Given some time.” 

 

Looking down at the floor the teen thought about that. Sure, David was hot. The man was attractive to Corey on so many levels, but he was also considerably older. He was settled in life. Clearly he was wealthy and was in some sort of relations with somebody that was way out of Corey’s league. David had been more than just kind to him but as Reidar had said, the man was a giver. 

 

“I wouldn’t want to get in between whatever you and David have Reidar,” Corey finally shook his head. “It wouldn’t be right.” 

 

Once again the larger blond laughed and shook his head. 

 

“I will admit, David is a fine man in my eyes,” Reidar explained. “One I have quite happily called a lover in the past, and one that I would like to continue doing so. You’re introduction into his life nor your persistence in it infringes on that in any way.”Giving Corey a wink the large Norwegian then grinned. “And well, I would not necessarily protest to you coming _between_ us in the slightest.” 

 

Corey felt his face heat up and he turned back to the sink. Without any dishes left to do he didn’t have much reason to be there but he had no idea what else he could busy himself with. Reidar continued the chuckle behind him though the man seemed content to busy himself with fiddling with the magnets on David’s refrigerator. 

 

A few minutes later David’s descent down the stairs was noted by gentled footsteps. Corey turned to see the man bouncing down the steps with a strange amount of grace for a man so large. David wore a tight muscle shirt embellished with several different insignias and loose jogging shorts. His hair was still damp and spiked up from a towel being dragged over it, Corey hadn’t even realized that he had taken a shower. 

 

“I was thinking about hitting up the boardwalk for a jog before heading into the studios,” David smiled easily, his eyes dancing between his two guests. “Reidar, you’ve got to get more cardio in your routine so you’re coming. Corey, you game?” 

 

Corey was a little stunned by the offer. He was fit for his age, had no amount of shame for his body or his abilities, yet he had a strong feeling in his gut that he wouldn’t hold a match to the two men in front of him. Rubbing at his shoulder he shrugged a little. 

 

“Uh, I can check my stuff and see if I have any jogging stuff.” 

 

“Great,” David smiled broadly. “Reidar, you go get changed. Corey and I will be waiting for you at the gate.” 

 

The baleful look David earned from Reidar made Corey laugh for some strange reason, the large man looking so much like a pouting child it was hilarious. Reidar shot him a betrayed look before trudging off and heading to his own house to change. 

 

David rolled his eyes and smirked before giving Corey himself an expectant look. Under that gaze the teen blushed a little and scurried off the the garage where his luggage still lived. Shuffling through his clothes didn’t take long and he was able to find some of his old gym shorts that would work just fine. Pulling it all on there he walked back into the living room and saw that the door under the stairs was open and David stood inside it feeding the fish from the side. 

 

Corey smiled at how calm and peaceful David looked, just a man happily tending to his fish completely at ease with the world and its going ons. 

 

“So that’s where you get to all that.” The teen spoke up as he approached. 

 

David nodded before casting him a glance, approving of the teen’s choice in wear he grinned and looked back to his tank. 

 

“Yep, everything that controls this tank is on a small touch panel right here,” Demonstrating a few of the light features the man returned them to normal and smiled proudly. “Got a guy that comes and does all the higher maintenance every week or so. I’d do it myself but I’ll admit it’s a little past my understanding.” 

 

Nodding in agreement Corey sighed. “Yeah, there’s a lot of work behind a salt water tank, and tons more if you have a live reef set up.” 

 

Laughing David exited the closet and closed the door behind him. “I know, when my brother gave me the booklet for the care I was stunned! Fortunately he knew a few guys to lend a hand.” 

 

“I remember reading about it a long time ago, it was really cool.” Corey admitted, trying not to feel anxious about the man in front of him. 

 

“Well, next time Brody’s here I’ll introduce you. You two can nerd out over water chemistry while the rest of us have a life.” David jeered playfully, letting loose a toothy grin as he passed to the front door. 

 

Corey snorted and rolled his eyes. “Just remember, it’s us ‘nerds’ that keep that water crystal clear.” The teen snarked then frowned a little in concentration. “Also, I think that was the first time I’ve actually been called a nerd to my face...” 

 

“Oh yeah?” David teased his tone not even hiding the ‘What you gonna do about it?’.

 

“Yeah...” Corey scrunched up his nose. “I don’t think I like it...” 

 

David chuckled as he slipped on his jogging shoes and opened the door. “Don’t worry, Core, your dark secret is safe with me.” 

 

That caused the teen to laugh and shake his head, jogging out the door so as not to be left behind. Reidar was already waiting for them at the gate, mockingly looking at his invisible watch. 

 

“And here I thought Americans were supposed to be timely.” The large blond smugly said.

 

David flipped his friend/part-time lover off and shot out of the gate at a steady pace laughing as both Reidar and Corey were left behind. 

 

It had only taken Corey half an hour to realize that he was beyond outmatched and give up. Throwing himself down on a bench the teen watched with lazy eyes as David and Reidar continued their ‘jog’. They had started out on the boardwalk at a pace that Corey had no problem keeping up with but at some point it was clear that David’s competitive side showed and the man kicked it up several notches. Now the two of them played on the beach, running about in some sort of tag like game. They looked like two old friends just having another day together. They looked like they belonged to each other. The looked _good_. 

 

The thought caused Corey to blush and remember what Reidar had told him earlier about their relationship. The teen sighed heavily just as David spun around and managed to tackle the slightly larger man to the sand. A wrestling match ensued though neither seemed to really be giving much effort to winning it. A soft smile came to Corey’s lips as he looked on, the scene before him reminding him that while the two were older than him by some time they were still so _young_. David was just shy of twenty seven and Reidar had just turned twenty five not all that long ago. They had their whole lives ahead of themselves, just like Corey did, and at the moment Corey couldn’t even think of a thing that would drive them apart. 

 


	9. Lights, Camera, Action!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so sorry this has taken me so long to get up. I've been crazy busy these last two months so I haven't had a lot of time for writing. 
> 
> But here it is, the next installment of Steel Studios! 
> 
> Unedited.

The actual studio building was a little lack luster after Corey had spent so much time thinking about the place. David had driven them to the industrial district on the inland side of town, most of the buildings there were either warehouses or factories. The only thing that really caused the studios to stand out was the fence around it had a familiar symbol on it and a guard station. The woman behind the counter had smiled at David and opened the gate without him even having to say a word. 

 

Corey felt a little nervous, he didn’t know if he should have printed out a resumé or bring a sheet of references. David had mentioned that he would be speaking with his sister and Reidar had managed to make her sound down right terrifying. At least he was dressed nice  — nicer than David at any rate, _he_ hadn’t even bothered to change after their morning ‘jog’— Corey realized at some point he’d have to try and get the last of his things from Jim’s. Which was not a conversation he was planning on having. David parked in a reserved space and guided Corey around the building to the entrance. 

 

Inside the large warehouse was sectioned and walls were built up that split it up into different rooms. Behind a desk a girl tilted her head and looked at David with a speculative glance, tapping at her ear piece and speaking to somebody for a moment before waving them over. 

 

“Good morning, Mr. Acciaio. Your sister wishes to have a word with you before your meeting.” 

 

“Alright, thank you Ms. Yets,” David confirmed and gestured over to the seats off to the side. “Core, why don’t you sit for a second while I see what Vann wants.” 

 

Nodding the teen set himself down and took a look around, ignoring the side eye the young woman behind the counter kept shooting him. He hadn’t thought that there would have really been a reception area for a studio, but he also reasoned that the place was more than just an adult video business. Corey was looking at a series of photographs that were spread across the far wall, it showed a field with an old oak tree but between the panes the seasons changed over the panoramic. It was nice. In a bottom corner it looked like the initials K.R. were elegantly scrawled. 

 

The door David disappeared through opened again and the man stepped out with a small grin on his face. Behind him walked a woman a little older than him, she had long curly hair that cascaded down her back to just below her shoulders. In her sharp looking burgundy dress-suit she looked strong, fierce, but also stunningly familiar. 

 

“Corey, this is my sister, Giovanna.” David introduced. 

 

Quickly standing the teen noted that the woman was taller than him in her narrow tipped heels. Holding out his hand he smiled a little. “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Acciaio?” Corey hadn’t meant that to be so much of a question but he wasn’t fully sure what her proper title was and he wasn’t about to call his potential new boss by her first name. At least not without permission. 

 

Warm brown eyes sparkled and the woman chuckled slightly, softly taking Corey’s hand in a friendly greeting. “Giovanna, or Vann is fine. David has spoken a fair bit about you, Corey, it’s nice to put a face to the name.” 

 

Nodding in response Corey let some of the tension in his shoulders relax. Between them Corey could see a mild family resemblance, though if he only saw them individually he probably wouldn’t have guessed it. Both were beautiful, strong featured with sturdy posturing. It made Corey wonder if David’s hair was that curly if it got longer. 

 

“David mentioned that you’re looking for work?” Giovanna spoke up after a moment, pulling out a small smart phone from a pocket. 

 

“Yes, Ma’am,” Corey nodded. David gave him a wink and suddenly the teen calmed down, the man wouldn’t lead him astray. “I’ve been looking around town but not much is hiring these days.” 

 

Sighing the woman nodded. “Not if you are just beginning, no,” Turning around Giovanna hip-checked David mildly and walked back to what Corey assumed was her office. “Why don’t we sit down and chat for a minute to see if we can figure something out.” 

 

David patted Corey on the shoulder as he passed but the large man made no move to follow. Instead David sidled up to the receptionist desk and began harassing Miss Yets.

 

Closing the door behind him as instructed Corey walked over to one of the plush chairs in front of the desk Vann sat at and perched on the edge. 

 

“Feel free to relax a little, Corey, despite what my brother likes to tell people I don’t actually eat the souls of children.” Giovanna joked, shifting in her seat with a smile. 

 

The teen sat further back in his chair and smirked. “He hasn’t said anything of the like, to me at least.” 

 

Giovanna laughed a little and smiled softly. “I’m sure. So Corey, let’s get some of the basics out of the way,” Tapping a pen on her desk the woman proceeded to pull out a sheet of paper and posed to make notes. “So, how old are you?” 

 

Corey bit at his lip and looked at his folded hands. “Uh, I’m currently seventeen but will be eighteen July eighth. So a few weeks from now.” 

 

Giovanna nodded and scribbled something down. “And where are you currently residing?” 

 

Corey paused and looked up at her, though by the look in Giovanna’s eyes she already knew. “Honestly? Well, I’ve been kind of couch hopping until recently. Most of my stuff is currently at David’s place.” 

 

Vann made a noise of some sort but Corey didn’t know her well enough to know what it meant. “And should you gain employment would you be seeking housing of you own?” 

 

“I’d like to, yes.” Corey nodded. 

 

“And what, exactly, is your relationship with my brother?” Giovanna asked, her tone a little sharper than before. 

 

“There isn’t one,” Corey quickly asserted. “I mean, we’re friends, but that is it,” Shaking his head the teen wanted her to believe him. “Besides, I’ve already met Reidar and I’m pretty sure he gave me his version of a shovel talk.” 

 

Grinning Giovanna laughed and shook her head. “Met the boyfriend, huh?” 

 

“He didn’t say as much,” Corey shrugged. “But yeah, he made his point clear.” 

 

Nodding Giovanna went back to her notes. “Yes, Reidar is a smart man, he knows that my brother isn’t the type of guy he could just slap a ring on. So, I’m assuming he mentioned my brothers habit of bringing home strays?” 

 

“Yes,” Corey nodded, fiddling in his seat. “And I assure you that I have no intention of using your brother in anyway. I’d like to think that he is my friend, and I don’t treat my friends like that.” 

 

Once again the woman smiled, tapping her papers on her desk and nodded. “Very well, tell me about you. What about this company intrigues you? Would you be willing to stay in a position with the potential for growth or are you merely looking for a steady paycheck?” 

 

Corey considered his answer for a moment and shrugged. “Well, I actually didn’t know that the studios were based here until I met David, but I’ve always had an interest in film. I plan on attending N.A.F. next Fall if I could get in. I don’t really know what I want to do once I get there but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.” 

 

“Why the gap year?” Giovanna asked, looking at Corey over the peaked fingers. 

 

Tilting his head the teen paused for a second then looked down. “Uh, actually I’d be attending right after I’d graduate. I’m kind of old for my grade.” 

 

“Oh.” Vann tilted her head and frowned a little. “So you’re still in high school.” 

 

“Yes.” Corey sighed. 

 

“Well, that can be worked around, so long as you are eighteen.” Giovanna reasoned. “Once you know your schedule give it to David and he can schedule your hours for you.” 

 

Tilting his own head Corey rose a brow. “Why would David be doing that?” 

 

The sharp grin the woman gave him sent chills down Corey’s spine. “Well, David would technically be your boss. That is assuming you wish to stay on that side of the studio.” 

 

“Oh,” Corey paused. “I didn’t realize that David did that.” 

 

Nodding Giovanna smiled. “David is very multifaceted. He does a lot more for this studio than just act.” 

 

Nodding Corey made a mental note to ask David just how many things he did. 

 

“So, I think we can find a place to fit you in, Corey.” Giovanna announced. “David was very stern on that fact, but I cannot guarantee you a soft spot just because David vouches for you. Chances are you’ll be a runner or gofer. Does that sound agreeable to you?” 

 

Smiling fully Corey quickly nodded. “Gladly. Everybody has got to start somewhere and I’m sure the experience will be valuable.” 

 

A soft grin hinted at Vann’s lips. “Well said,” The brown eyed woman winked, which was apparently a family trait. “Diplomatic, perhaps we could use you to look over David’s press releases. Boy is a sweetheart but a wordsmith he is not.” 

 

Chuckling the teen shrugged and smiled back at Vann. 

 

“Terry,” Giovanna spoke into her intercom pressing down on a button. “You can stop hedging my brother’s awful attempts at flirting and send the nervous nelly right on in.” 

 

Moments later David appeared through the door and frowned at his sister. “You don’t have to bemean, sis.” 

 

“David, if you were any more of a mother bear over this kid I would have to start telling the others to stock your pantries for winter.” Giovanna rose a brow as she snarked. “But, I think you’ll be happy to know that I’ve approved Corey for work.” 

 

“Yeah?” David beamed.

 

“Yes,” Vann nodded. “Now claim your charge and get out of my office, you’re stinking up the place.” 

 

Winking David blew her a kiss and opened the door, looking at Corey with warmth. 

 

“Thank you, Vann.” Corey nodded to the woman and turned to leave with David. 

Together the two of them walked through the reception office and David led to a different door. 

 

“So, where’d she place ya?” The man eventually asked as they walked down the hallways. 

 

“Your sister actually said that it would be up to you,” Corey answered, eyes casting side to side at the various doors they passed. “Seeing as you are going to be my new boss.” 

 

“Only on paper,” David shrugged. “Technically I run this half of the studio, but other than signing the checks and doing the basic bookkeeping I’m not really ‘The Boss’.” 

 

Cory snickered at the older man using quotation marks as he walked. “So that explains why you are actually so busy all the time. I kind of thought it was kind of odd that you were, considering you only appear in a new video every month or so.” 

 

“Keeping an eye on me are you?” David teased, nudging the teen a little before turing to another door and opening it. “So, we won’t actually be in this building,” The opened door revealed the parking lot where they began and Corey noticed that another building was right across the way. “We’re in the secondary suite.” 

 

Walking across the asphalt the two of them went through another door and were greeted by another reception. 

 

“This is Penelope,” David introduced the brightly colored young woman behind the counter. Corey was a little caught on her near neon blue hair and cherry red lipstick. “Don’t call her Penny or she will lock you out of the building.” 

 

The woman snorted and shook her head. “Well, good afternoon to you too, Boss.” 

 

Rolling his eyes David just smirked. “Anything interesting come through for me today?” 

 

“Just the papers your sister sent over,” Penelope answered, holding out the still warm sheaf of papers. “This the new recruit?” 

 

“Yep,” David muttered as he looked over the papers. “This is Corey.” 

 

“Pleasure to meet you, Corey,” The blue haired woman smiled. “Hope you have a good time here with us.” 

 

“I’ll do my best.” Corey nodded. 

 

“Well, Core, how about we sit in my office for a minute and figure out just where I’m going to put you.” David announced walking over to the door at the side and walking through. It seemed that both this building and the last were similar in design. 

 

Unlike Giovanna’s office which was full of warm wood and masculine colors David’s office was all glass, brushed steel, and polished ebony. It felt professional but completely alien to the man that Corey knew. Sitting in some modern monstrosity of a chair the teen felt a little uncomfortable as it was so stiff but he didn’t mention it. David sat himself in his leather chair and scribbled some notes down on the papers in hand. Pulling out a drawer the man pulled out a case and took out a simple pair of reading glasses. 

 

“Woah...” Corey couldn’t help but mutter as the man slid them on. He had never thought about it before, but something about the small rectangular spectacles was strangely attractive on David’s face. 

 

“Hmm?” David cast a look over the top of the rims at the teen, brows raised in question. 

 

Feeling himself heat under the collar Corey just shook his head. “Uh nothing,” He muttered. “It’s just kind of surprising how unfairly hot you look in those...” 

 

The second the words came out of his mouth the teen wished he could have retracted them. That was so not something you should say to your new boss. 

 

David didn’t seem to care, though, as he just chuckled and shrugged. “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

 

“Don’t really think Magnum is the Librarian type.” Corey joked. 

 

The other shrugged, setting his pen down and looking at Corey strait on. “No, but I’ve always kind of wanted to do a Hot Teacher scene.” Wriggling his brows lewdly David slid the papers over his desk. “Fill all that out and get it back to me. We can get you started next week I think.” 

 

“Oh!” Corey started, mind still trudging through the gutter. Looking down at the paperwork he smirked at all the things filled out by David already. The man had oddly nice handwriting for somebody with such big hands. “So, what am I going to be doing?” Corey asked as he scanned through his packet.

 

“Well, Corrine already filled her position for an assistant, so more or less you’re going to be mine.” David responded. 

 

Corey’s eyes casted up and he tilted his head. “I thought Penelope was your assistant?” 

 

“She is,” The man nodded. “She’s the glue that holds this place together, but she manages all of my professional e-mails and schedule. You are going to be my leg man, a gofer. Since you’re going to be part time this upcoming fall I wanted you somewhere that was important but not essential.”

 

“Makes sense,” Corey nodded along. “So, what will you need me to do?” 

 

David stood and motioned for Corey to follow. “Well, until you’re eighteen you are to stay behind the scenes. See these lights?” David pointed up at the light right next to the door, there were lights on other doors dotted down the hall. “These are where we shoot some of our scenes if we aren’t on site somewhere else. If the light is lit up you are not to enter, for now.” Opening the door David peeked in and showed Corey a rather familiar bedroom set. 

 

“Any of these rooms that have a light by the door are a set, notice each has a number on the door but most also refer them with a name. This room for instance is A103, also known as the King’s Suite.” David closed the door behind him, herding Corey along. “If I go on site on a shoot you’ll be coming with me, but otherwise we will be here.” At an open doorway David showed Corey a kitchen like set up. “This is the break room, normally you can find most of the crew here if they aren’t on a shoot. However,” David backed out and walked to another room with his name on it. “Us actors that are signed on to the studio have a personal room that we use to get ready for shoots.” 

 

Corey looked around David’s room and found more of his personal touches here and there. 

 

“Since I’ll most likely have you running around most of your day you will probably be asked by some of the others to bring things to me. That is okay, that is your job. However, it is not your job to be doing things for the rest of the crew, I don’t expect that of you and anybody who is important enough has an assistant of their own. If anybody gives you a hard time over it tell me and I will sort it out.” 

 

David looped back through the halls and the two eventually found themselves back at reception. Penelope was playing some game on her phone but was also chatting with somebody on her headset, from the sound of it she was trying to set an appointment of some sort. 

 

“Any questions?” David asked, standing by the door to his office. 

 

“No,” Corey shook his head. “Just, thanks.” 

 

David grinned. “Don’t thank me just yet,” Blue eyes narrowed a little, making his grin sinister. “I haven’t had an assistant in years. I’ve been told I’m a bit of a monster.” 

 

“Oh yes,” Corey rolled his eyes as he followed the man back into his office. “You’re such a menace.” 

 

Snorting the large man rounded his desk and opened another drawer. A new box rested in his hand and he held it out to Corey. “You’ll need this.” 

 

Looking at the sleek black box the teen cautiously opened it and stared in awe at the sleek black smart phone that looked back at him. Its screen was so clean he could see his own reflection in it. 

 

“You bought me a phone?” He asked.

 

“Technically, the studios bought you a phone,” David smirked, sliding his glasses back into their case. “It has all the essential numbers. You’ll also find several programs on it which will be useful for you, a calendar with my full schedule, profiles, browsers, anything you should really need. You’ll have to call your carrier if you wish to keep your old number, otherwise Penelope can activate it for you.” 

 

“Wait, this is actually mine?” Corey asked to be sure. “Like, a personal phone?” 

 

“Just so long as you don’t use if for personal use on the clock you’re good,” David nodded. “You’re also on the company plan, so you don’t have to worry about that.” 

 

“Wow, David,” Corey chuckled. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” 

 

“No problem, Kid,” David grinned as he slipped on a pair of extremely expensive sunglasses, ruffling Corey’s hair as he walked by. “Now what do you say we go get lunch to celebrate? I hear a friend of mine just got a new job.” 

 

The rest of the day Corey spent wandering about town with David. They had lunch at a little seafood shack that had fresh caught shrimp and David taunted the teen about never having had lobster before. He also warned that Reidar loved the place to the depths of his soul so if Corey had anything less than stellar to report about eating there he was best off keeping it to himself. 

 

Corey and David just caught up on general stuff, taking the break in the wet weather to meander. Apparently it wasn’t too odd for David to do so, he liked walking around and nobody seemed to think anything of it. Several topics were broached that Corey wasn’t quite ready to face yet but David didn’t seem the kind of man to run from his problems. 

 

“So, you’re staying with me.” The man announced as they worked their way back towards his car. 

 

“What?” Corey looked at David wondering where that came from.

 

“On the paperwork,” David shrugged. “You’ll need to put down your address. So use mine since you’ll be staying there for a while.” 

 

“David, that’s really nice of you but I don’t want to intrude.” The teen quickly denied but was shushed. 

 

“Core, be realistic,” The man gazed over his shades down at him. “You’ll be making decent money, but nowhere enough to make rent anywhere in town. Anywhere reputable anyways.” 

 

Corey shrugged. “I can find a place, I might need a roommate, but it will be doable.” 

 

“Corey,” David stopped, catching Corey’s hand as he did. “I’m not going to let you do that. I know that things might feel a little different now that we’ll be working together but nothing is changing. And I might be a big ol’ ogre for it but I’m not letting you go off without some stability.” 

 

“I appreciate it, David,” Corey smiled softly, ignoring how warm the man’s hands were. “And I can’t thank you enough for helping me as much as you have, but you don’t need to do that.” 

 

“I know I don’t,” David smiled softly. “But I am. And it’s final. You’re either staying with me or Reidar, end of story.” 

 

“Reidar?” Corey scrunched up his face, curious as to why the large blond would take him in. 

 

“Yep,” David nodded and clasped Corey on the shoulder. “Big guy has been blowing up my phone all day. I think he’s developed a bit of a crush,” The large man teased. “And trust me, if you move out with somebody other than me or him he will hunt you down and drag you back with us. The man’s grandfather was a viking or something like that, he’d do it.” 

 

Laughing Corey shook his head but shrugged. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.” Looking up at David he smiled. “You really don’t mind?” 

 

“Naw,” David chuckled and continued to walk. “I’ve got the spare room, we’ll have to clean it out a little but it’s yours for as long as you want it.” 

 

Corey watched the man from a few paces behind and just grinned. It warmed him to know that David was willing to go so far him. Though it also reminded him that he had to get in touch with Jr. he hadn’t spoken to his brother much in the last few days and the guy was probably worried about him. He’d also have to get the rest of his things from Jim’s house at some point. 

 

“Don’t fall behind, Short Stack, I ain’t carrying you if your legs give out!” David called out from ahead. 

 

Corey snorted and jogged a few paces to catch up, nudging David in retaliation and he was about ninety percent sure that the sway in his next step was only a little indulgent. Though when David plopped an arm over the teen’s shoulders he decided that it was okay. 

 

* * *

 

 

David watched that evening as Corey fiddled with his new phone. The teen was ecstatic to finally be using something from this decade and was quickly learning how to use all the new programs to their fullest. Reidar had been pestering him all day about the boy, it seemed that Corey had found himself a second new friend. The man asked him little things like what Corey liked to eat and what his size of shoe was. David wasn’t completely sure but he’d bet on Reidar showing up sometime in the next few days with a bobbin or bit for him. It made David happy that he had so easily accepted Corey, if he hadn’t it would have put a bit of a wrench in his plans. 

 

Not that he had active plans for Corey. At least not like some might think. It was true that he wanted to keep the teen close and guarded, care for him and ensure that Corey got the things in life he hadn’t for the last few years. The teen hadn’t said it all just yet but David could tell, Corey didn’t flinch from touch so he wasn’t worried about physical abuse but there were a lot of ways to harm a child. 

 

As David put together a freshly made Cobb salad he chatted back and forth with a few of the guys. Reidar had insisted that they throw Corey a party to welcome him not only to the house but to the family. David always felt a little warm inside when Reidar called them a family, being Italian it was just second nature to be surrounded by people that you held close. He wasn’t sure if the large blond knew that or if he felt the same, but either way it ended up the same. Corey was officially adopted and nothing anybody had to say about it would change that. 

 

_[So, when do we get to meet Lover Boy. — D.B]_

 

_[I believe you have already met me. — R.F.]_

 

_[I meant the Twink —D.B.]_

 

_[I do not know this term...=( —R.F.]_

 

David chuckled and rolled his eyes, tapping out a message. 

 

[A Twink is a younger male that is small and slender, Reid. —D.A.]

[And nobody is meeting Corey if you can not call him by name. —D.A.]

 

_[Papa Bear is fierce. —P.H.]_

Snorting at the comment David shook his head. He knew he was being a little over protective, so sue him. 

 

[Shouldn’t you be on set? —D.A.] 

 

Peter was actually out on loan, shooting a scene with another studio. David had seen the details pass over his desk a few weeks ago, something about a Full moon three-way. He didn’t ask questions. 

 

_[Corey is young, but not small. —R.F.]_

_[We are just much bigger. —R.F.]_

 

_[Oh? And how do you know that? —D.B.]_

 

Sighing David decided to ignore his friends in favor of checking in on the lasagna in the oven. It was cooking well and would be done in a few minutes. Checking back over at Corey David noticed that the teen was engrossed in something. 

 

“Corey?” 

 

“Yes!” The teen suddenly shot strait up and shot surprised eyes his way. David chuckled. 

 

“Is everything alright?” The man asked, setting the salads aside. 

 

“Sure,” Corey blushed and tucked his phone in his pocket before coming into the kitchen. “I was just looking at the, uh, profiles on my phone. They’re rather...detailed.” 

 

Nodding David agreed. He was no stranger to how the profiles were designed, or the information each held. “It will be important for you to recognize the people on set, we do not typically have a problem with interlopers but it has been known to happen.” 

 

“David, I don’t need to know the exact measurements of Reidar’s dick to tell him apart from a stranger.” Corey countered, still a little flushed. 

 

David laughed, admitting to himself that it was fun seeing the teen blush. “I guess not. Feel free to ignore that bit then.” 

 

“Why is it even in the profiles?” Corey grumbled as he sat at the table. 

 

“Well, you will have access to that information so that in the case of needing exact measurementsfor an actor you will be able to have them quickly and efficiently. I doubt it will come up as my Gofer, but it is possible that I may ask you to find me something from wardrobe and in that case you will know if it will fit.” David reasoned. 

 

There really wasn’t much of a reason for Corey to have the profiles on his phone, though there wasn’t much of a reason for him not to either. David knew his measurements like the back of his hand, though what Corey didn’t know couldn’t hurt him. 

 

_[I spent the last night with Corey. He was the most grand company. —R.F.]_

_[The boy is short but compact. —R.F.]_

 

Not wanting his friend to share anything too awkward David sent out a quick warning. 

 

[Reidar. —D.A]

 

_[A date should be chosen. —R.F.]_

 

[When Peter gets back into town we’ll do something. — D.A.]

 

_[Aww, you care <3 — P.H.]_

 

Rolling his eyes David slid his phone away and put on mitts to remove the lasagna. Pulling it out of the over the man set it aside to let it cool. Picking up the two salads David carried them to the table and set them down. Corey looked at the dish for a second before smiling and thanking him. 

 

“So, I’m guessing Reidar’s not the only one who can cook.” The teen teased. 

 

David chuckled and shrugged. “My mother may have taught me a thing or two.” 

 

“And I thank her for it.” Corey happily replied. 

 

“So I’m thinking tomorrow we’ll work on cleaning out the guest room and get your things in order,” David spoke in between bites. “Sound good?” 

 

“Works for me,” Corey nodded. “I don’t really have much to get settled.”

 

“I don’t mean to pry,” The dark haired man tilted his head and pointed at Corey with his fork. “But shouldn’t a teenager have more junk and stuff? I know when I was your age my room was piled with crap.” 

 

Corey looked down at his plate and David immediately felt horrible for bringing it up. 

 

“Uh, well most of the things I had up until I moved in with my brother is still at my parent’s house,” The young blond spoke, picking at his salad. “But I accidentally left a few of my things at Jim’s when I took off, so I’ll have to go grab some of that at some point...” 

 

David frowned at the mention of the teen’s wayward ex-boyfriend. Shrugging a little the man finished off the last of his plate and stood to begin dishing out the rest of dinner. 

 

“That’s no problem,” He spoke as he divided the lasagna. “We’ll ride on over there tomorrow and pick up what you left behind.” 

 

“Um, David, you don’t need to do that,” Corey immediately began to protest. “I’d like to get my stuff back, but I can do it on my own.” 

 

Sighing the large brunet turned and crossed his arms. “Corey, after everything you’ve told me about him, I don’t trust Jim anywhere near you. So, no, you will not be going to his house alone when you want to get your other things. Either Reidar or I will go with you.” 

 

David watched as Corey’s face shift through emotions. First the teen’s fists clenched as did his jaw, then he loosened up and just frowned, and finally Corey just sighed and looked sad. 

 

“You know,” The blond muttered at his loose fists. “He used to be my best friend.” 

 

“People change,” David shrugged. Carrying the plates back over to the table the man sat down and put one of his large hand over the teen’s. “Sometimes for the better, but sometimes they don’t. I’ve been trying real hard to not pester you about him, I know Jim was — _is_ — important to you. I know that you still want to believe he’s your friend, and maybe given some distance you two can fix things. But I also know that I would have probably have busted the little shit’s nose by now if it wouldn’t get me arrested for assaulting a minor.”

 

“Maybe it would be better if Reidar went with me tomorrow then.” Corey chuckled softly. 

 

“Possibly,” David laughed with a shrug. “Just putting my two cents out there. Now c’mon, lets eat. This stuff gets nasty when it’s cold.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up next: Corey and Reidar have a confrontation with Jim!
> 
> Hope some of you are still with me, and I'd love to hear from you! What would you all like to see? What are you liking, what are you not liking? As always comments and kudos are welcome and appreciated!


	10. Reidar: Momma-Bear Extraordinaire

David was, _apparently_ , a morning person. A horrible, _horrible_ , morning person. 

 

Because as they say, nobody is perfect. 

 

Corey had spent another night on David’s pull-out, which in all fairness was more comfortable than the last two actual beds he had slept on. According to David it was imported. Over the years the teen succumbed to the conclusion that he was not an attractive sleeper. Left to his own devices he tended to sprawl out like a dead starfish and drool. It wasn’t the most endearing of his traits. 

 

Though when David woke him up at _six fifteen_ the man had the gall to call him ‘cute’ and the proceed to disappear for a half hour jog. 

 

The only appeal to it all was the fact that David also decided that today was going to be a topless kind of day. 

 

Once Corey was up and properly caffeinated he resigned to the fact that David had the energy of a puppy on speed and had been completely serious about clearing out his guest room.  

 

“Your birthday is in a couple of weeks, right?” Davis asked as the two of them sorted through Corey’s laundry. 

 

Corey cast a speculative eye up, blond brow slowly rising. “Yeah...?” 

 

“Good,” The dark haired man nodded an affirmative. “Then in honor of that, I’m taking you shopping for some new threads.” 

 

“What’s wrong with what I have?” Corey grumbled mulishly, the familiar argument replaying in his head. 

 

“Kid, you have ten shirts in this duffle bad,” David held one up in evidence. “Four of which are pretty obviously work out gear. The rest are assorted polos.” 

 

“So?” Corey frowned and went back to sorting and matching his socks. 

 

“Core, I ain’t making fun of you,” David placated. “But if you’re going to be my assistant, you’re going to have to dress the part.” 

 

“Yeah?” Corey snarked, crossing his arms. “You expect me to run around in a three-piece while you do the dirty in your birthday suit?” 

 

Snorting the larger man winked but then shook his head. “Naw, I was thinking more business casual. You know, nice shirts, vests, maybe a bow-tie or two.” 

 

“So what,” The blond chuckled. “We’re going to go out and you’ll get your ‘ _Pretty Woman_ ’ on?”

 

David laughed. “Sure, but in this case I’m pretty sure that _I’m_ the sex worker.” 

 

Corey laughed. “Well, I have always wanted a diamond necklace.”

 

The two men paused and then broke out laughing. That devolved into a sock war which Corey truly felt like he won. 

 

An hour later they had picked through what Corey had and David was even more adamant that he was going to refurbish the teen’s wardrobe. He also informed that Corey was to report to Reidar’s once he was cleaned up and ready to ship out. David had ‘ _Sensitive Materials’_ in the guest room to take care of, which the teen assumed was code for ‘ _Gratuitous Nudes_ ’ or ‘ _Boring Tax Papers_ ’. Either way it got him out of hauling heavy boxes so he was okay with spending some one-on-one time with Reidar. 

 

Even if it also meant a no doubt uncomfortable confrontation with his ex.

 

Shooed out of the house, Corey wandered to the beginning of the little cul-de-sac taking his time to look at the landscaping and individual homes. The teen wasn’t an expert on plants but he saw several of the familiar seaside favorites, rhododendrons, echium, tea-trees, and the like. Each house also seemed to have a small amount of matching flare. It was still early enough in the morning that there was a chill on the air and dew hung on the well manicured lawns. The news had stated last night that the storm had moved north and the weather would start heating up for July. 

 

Reaching Reidar’s house the small one-story grey house seemed to fail to meet the personality of the man that dwelled inside it. Since it was the closest to the road and the sound wall it looked like there was just a small side yard on one side, up against the house were small coastal grasses but little else. 

 

Knocking on the door it only took a second for Reidar’s booming voice to admit him. Slowly testing the knob Corey opened the door calmly and stepped inside.

 

“You don’t keep your doors locked?” He questioned out loud, not seeing his host. To the city kid it seemed odd, even when he lived in the really good part of town it was just habit to always lock the doors. 

 

“Of course not,” Reidar’s voice rumbled. “Who would there be to break in? And besides, locked doors make poor neighbors.” 

 

“I think the saying is ‘Good fences make good neighbors’,” Corey noted following the other’s voice. “Though it’s not like you guys have those either.” 

 

Reidar laughed and Corey eventually found him in the living room. The man was sitting there in garish plaid sleep pants, hair pulled back, and nothing else. The teen paused for a minute to admire the man’s beloved chest hair before he noticed that Reidar was actually wearing something else.

 

“Oh, come on!” The teen cried, raking a hand through his hair “It should be illegal for already hot guys to be able to pull off glasses!” 

 

Reidar chuckled and looked at him over his spectacles, trade mark smile on his face. “Well, I assure you, I’ve had my poor eyesight much longer than my good looks. However I do find contacts to be more suiting to my lifestyle.” 

 

Corey grumbled about unfair hotness under his breath and shuffled further into the room. The only place to sit was the other half of the second-hand couch, right next to Reidar. So the teen decided to make a show of being grumpy about it and larger blond laughed along. 

 

“So, what are you looking at?” Corey asked, looking at the various papers in front of them. Certain things were blacked out but a few of them looked like grade-sheets. 

 

“I am referring to my transcripts,” Reidar responded, using a red pen to circle something. “Yours as well.” 

 

“Mine?” Corey frowned, leaning forward to examine the papers more closely. “How did you get mine?” 

 

The large man chuckled. “I have friends in good places.” 

 

“Oh your Gods,” The teen muttered out slightly horrified. “Did you have Vann threaten somebody for these?!” 

 

Reidar burst out in laughter but shook his head. “No, my friend, I simply made a few calls to a colleague at the local academy and had them request them for me.” 

 

“Okay...” Corey nodded slowly. “Why?” 

 

Reidar looked over at him, brushing a stay hair behind his ear. Tilting his head Reidar seemed to consider something before putting down his papers and pen. 

 

“Corey, there are many things you will get to know about me in the years to come, but first I should tell you this.” Reidar paused, wetting his lips a little. “From where I come from I am a highly educate person, I am well trained in the disciplines of the natural sciences, primarily ecology and marine biology. I have published papers of my findings and am decently well respected scientist in my field.”

 

Corey took the pause to tilt his head and ask why Reidar was here then, filming adult videos. The man chuckled and shrugged. 

 

“America is the land of dreams, Corey, but one must work for those dreams to become a reality. Back home, in Norway, I was qualified to be a teacher, here I am not,” Once again Reidar paused and shrugged, “I met our David in New York. He was there on ‘ _Business_ ’ and we happened to be staying in the same hotel. David was there for the week and I was doing best to figure out my next step here. One thing led to another, we went on a few dates, and when David realized that I was not a tourist but had very few places to be he suggested that I move to California. He promised that he would save a spot for me, sound familiar?” 

 

Corey smirked and nodded. Reidar smiled fondly and leaned back into the arm of his seat. 

 

“David is a good man, he let me stay with him for a short while as I saw to my affairs. I intended to teach, still do, though the scholastic world here is much different from the one I am used to. I will need to get American certification to teach here, take classes. I expressed my troubles to David one evening and he told me that the studios were looking for a new actor, said that he thought I could be a good fit. When I looked into it I found that the industry here could pay well and would offer me a flexible schedule to do what I needed to do. I’m sure you’ve seen my ‘audition’,” Reidar winked with a grin. “And, well, I’ve been at the studios since. I take the courses I need in my spare time or online so that I can get my certificates.” 

 

“Aren’t you worried about your students recognizing you though?” The teen asked. He had, after all, recognized David fairly easily when they met. Reidar wasn’t _as_ popular, but he was still viewed frequently. 

 

The large blond chuckled. “No, I look much different with shorter hair and my friend has assured me that the college is quite open-minded should it all come out. I will have to leave the studios before I can begin officially assisting or teaching, but that is a few semesters away still.” 

 

“Wow,” Corey shook his head. It was kind of a lot to take in. “But what about David? Won’t he care when you leave?” 

 

The foreign man nodded, a small sad smile tinting his face as he spread his arms out. “Oh, he will miss me, I am sure, but I have no intentions of going anywhere,” He shrugged. “We have spoke of it a little. Once I leave the studios I will be moving out of this place, perhaps back into his. Perhaps into town. But for now neither of us have seen much reason to worry over it.” 

 

Snuggling into his own corner Corey looked at the man in front of him. Reidar seemed so placid when he wasn’t bounding with energy. He was confident and sure. He was handsome, intelligent, and driven. To the teenager that all seemed so far away from what he himself had. 

 

“So, what does all that have to do with you getting my transcripts?” He eventually asked. 

 

Reidar hummed a little and once again seemed to be considering something. 

 

“You yourself are not dull, Corey, your individual scores reflect that in most areas, even if your grades do not. Notes from your instructors also express that you have a strong understanding but lack focus,” Reidar brought his hands together and crossed his fingers. “What I mean to say is that because of the system that you are put in, because of how that system works, your schooling is failing you. Given a scope you work very well, should your goals be clear and precise you can do good work. But being pressured by timed tests and surrounded by outside stimuli you lose your grasp on your thoughts and grow distracted. Does that sound accurate?”

 

Corey scratched at his knee and shrugged a little. “Kind of, I guess. Sometimes I just get distracted by stuff, you know. Or I just don’t really care because certain things just aren’t very interesting.” 

 

Nodding Reidar removed his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. “My sister had a similar problem with school, actually.” 

 

Corey tilted his head a little. “Your sister?” 

 

The larger blond hummed with a nod. “The one just a few years behind me, Sara. She did not likeschool very much. Was quite the little trouble maker, actually. Our parents were not too happy with her for that, but they asked why. ” 

 

“Okay...”The teen droned. “And?” 

 

“To put it simply?” Reidar shrugged. “She was bored. Sara is sharper than the crack of a whip, and the public school she attended wasn’t holding onto her mind so she let it wander. Her last few years were hard but she also took advanced courses that kept her either entertained or so bogged down with work that she didn’t have the time to notice.” The man grinned, looking off in fond memory. 

 

“I believe that similar is happening with you.” 

 

Corey looked down at his feet, shrugging a little. He did try hard at school —he studied more than anyone he knew that wasn’t shooting for valedictorian— but he noticed a long time ago that if he wasn’t interested in a subject that it just wouldn’t stick. 

 

“From what David has told me you have one more year,” Reidar spoke lowly. “Perhaps it would be worthwhile to look into alternatives, testing out or advanced courses. I truly believe that would be a better option for you than attending regularly in the fall. The college I attend offers a summer course to prepare for such a thing, and of course I offer my assistance as well.” 

 

Corey thought about that a little. Testing out of senior year would be kind of nice. It wasn’t like he had any friends to go back to or really cared about any other of the big last year things. Peeking up at the other blond he grinned. 

 

“So, we’d be study-buddies?” 

 

Chuckling Reidar nodded. “Indeed. But first David has informed me that we have a mission!” 

 

“I guess we could call it that...” Corey muttered. 

 

“Then let us make haste!” Reidar clapped the teen on the knee before standing. “Once we are done I wish to you out to lunch.” 

 

Reidar apparently liked to travel via motorcycle but for their sake of their ‘mission’ and the fact that the older blond didn’t have a spare helmet they took his car instead. The vehicle was nowhere near as flashy as David’s beloved muscle car but the aged sedan screamed ‘Owned by College Student!!!’, which Corey reasoned Reidar technically was. Corey guided them through the streets, explaining along the way what exactly they were doing and why. 

 

“You mean to tell me that you have this ‘friend’ who was once a boyfriend though is no longer a romantic attachment yet he still expects the benefits from before?” 

 

“That about sums it up.” Corey nodded, tapping his fingers together. 

 

Reidar was frowning —which on a whole was rather odd— but he otherwise appeared calm. 

 

“And this Jim, he attempted to force himself on you?” 

 

“More like heavily suggested,” Corey shrugged. “Our lines have always been a little blurred.” 

 

“Blurred lines do not excuse his behavior, Corey,” Reidar muttered. “I find you appealing, and our world has little use for the standard procedures. That does not mean that I will advance on those feelings should they not be reciprocated. It is not that hard of a concept.” 

 

“Wait,” Corey paused and looked at Reidar. “You think I’m attractive?” 

 

“Very,” The man mumbled. “Yes, you are younger, but that is no part of the appeal.” 

 

Smiling to himself Corey happily waded in the knowledge that a guy like Reidar liked him. 

 

“David too, for that matter,” Reidar’s low voice continued to speak. “Though he is much more reserved due to your age.” 

 

“Really?” The teen blushed in his seat.

 

Reidar hummed in response. “You could not tell?” 

 

“I didn’t really think about it, I mean, the guy is pretty much way out of my league.” Corey spoke but Reidar scoffed. 

 

“These ‘leagues’ are silly fabrications that you teenagers seem to love waving about, they mean very little to adult attraction.” 

 

Corey bit at his lip a little thinking on that. “David really likes me? Like, _likes me_ , likes me?” 

 

Reidar chuckled at that but nodded. “He does indeed. I strongly believe that once you are of age and more settled he shall begin to court you.” 

 

The teen snorted. “Who says ‘court’ any more? What are we, some trashy dime-store paperback?” 

 

Reidar chuckled at that and shrugged. “I simply think that is the best term. David is about soft gestures, he likes to move slowly when it comes to love. Grand movements and flare are, surprisingly enough, not his style.” 

 

Corey snorted. “Hard to believe, considering I’ve been in his car.” 

 

The large blond man hummed in appreciation. “Ah, yes...The car.” 

 

Corey caught the whimsical smile that blessed across Reidar’s face, the man apparently trailing off in reverence. Laughing at his new friend the teen pointed out the house ahead as their destination. 

 

“Honestly, Reidar, I like David too. I mean, have you _seen_ him?” The young blond shrugged. “But after all this mess with Jim and school and _everything_. I don’t really think I’m in a good place for anything like that.” 

 

“That is a very mature decision, Corey,” Reidar mulled it all over for a moment. “I do not think David is quite yet ready either. He shows his feelings on his sleeve, but I do not think he has quite seen them just yet.” 

 

Corey smiled softly at Reidar’s way of putting it. Part of the teen wondered if the other was so eloquent because of his bilingual nature or if that just Reidar’s own way. 

 

The large man grinned as he pulled up to the curb. “Now, c’mon, let’s go scare your ex.” 

 

Corey had gotten a brief taste of Reidar’s protective flavor a few nights prior but now he sensed that it had only been the tip of the iceberg. Jim had answered the door in sport shorts and a tank, Reidar had given him the coldest once over before gently rounding Corey only to heavily shoulder-check Jim into the door jam. Jim sputtered and looked at Corey in accusal. 

 

“My cousin doesn’t like you much,” He shrugged as he walked in. “I’m here to pick up the rest of my things.”

 

Reidar loomed like a giant bear of a shadow the entire time, huge arms crossed and —if Corey had to guess— purposely flexed. Jim was clearly uncomfortable with his presence though didn’t seem to recognize him, which the teen guessed was a blessing. The few times Jim did try to talk to or touch Corey Reidar cracked his knuckles or snorted in disapproval. Jim’s mother had been sweet enough to gather his things and left them stacked next to his forgotten backpack. 

 

On top of the pile was his old phone. 

 

As they were leaving Jim finally spoke up. “I’ll call you sometime, yeah?” 

 

Corey was about to respond when Reidar pinned Jim to the wall with his forearm across his chest. Using his extra inches to tower over the younger teen. 

 

“You _will not_ ‘call’ him unless he contacts you first, _yeah_?”Reidar’s deep voice was a dark growl. By the looks of it Jim was damn near close to pissing his pants. 

 

“Y-yeah.” 

 

And with that they left. 

 

As they drove away Corey began to laugh loudly. 

 

“Dude, Reidar, that was awesome!” The teen crowed. 

 

The man shrugged it off but Corey could tell that he was pleased by the grin on his face. 

 

“Seriously, if I didn’t know you better you could be down right terrifying.” Corey shook his head and sighed off his laughter. 

 

“I may or may not have done some work as a bouncer in my undergrad years.” Reidar offered. 

 

After that Reidar just hummed along with the radio and Corey busied himself with keeping David in the loop. He didn’t mention anything about what Reidar and him spoke about before, though he did send him a video of Reidar loudly singing along to some trashy pop song sang by a preteen. Their drive ended in the parking lot of a small Ma & Pop style diner. Corey knew of the place but had never been there, it was supposedly _the_ place to go on a first date. 

 

As he rounded the front of the car Reidar was waiting for him and pulled him in against his side as they walked up, a smile blooming over his handsome features. When they passed through the door Reidar called out and was greeting in like. A woman came out form the back, her pale blond hair pulled back into a braided bun. She was all smiles and arms spread wide. The woman cheered and rapidly began speaking in a language that Corey couldn’t understand but Reidar must have as he too quickly spoke words in the same way. The entire time the large blond didn’t remove his arm but the other flailed around in wide gestures. The woman guided them over to a cute little corner booth that was tucked away, pointing out the menus placed under the glass table top. 

 

Apparently the owners of the restaurant were long lost family friends of Reidar’s family that had moved to America when he was a boy. 

 

“Their oldest, Nina, used to babysit me when I was very small.” The large man explained, using his hands to emphasize how he was once a tiny child. 

 

Once they settled and the woman —who Corey now knew was named Selma— had gone back to finish her behind the counter duties Reidar just smiled softly and looked content. 

 

“Get the sweet potato curly fries if you can,” He advised. “Best in the city.”

 

Corey cast a brazened look at the man’s chest and slowly slid lower to the hilly expanse that was his ridiculous six pack. “A connoisseur of curly fries, are you?” 

 

“And I pay for it dearly.” The man sagely nodded.

 

When Selma came back to them for their order Corey had settled on a bacon cheeseburger with a chocolate shake —not forgetting to get the suggested side dish— and Reidar ordered a seafood salad with a strawberry shake and his own side of fries. Then they began to gossip. Corey liked that Reidar was easy to talk to as well as comfortable to listen to. He wasn’t boastful about his accomplishments though would talk of them if asked. Reidar didn’t get to talk to others all that much about his work outside of his current job. 

 

“People far too often hear the accent or see my muscles and expect nothing else underneath.” He expressed with a small frown. 

 

Corey opened up about Jim after Reidar asked. Explained how they had met as young children and grew up together, used to be neighbors. 

 

“We clicked, you know? Like we were a set pair as kids,” The teen spoke as he nibbled on his —admittedly _delicious_ — sweet potato curly fries. “He changed a lot when we got to high school, he wanted to be popular.” 

 

Together they joked about familiar things; movies they had seen, music they heard, David. 

 

“So, I hear you got the job as David’s newest assistant.” Storm blue eyes twinkled with mischief. 

 

“Yeah,” Corey paused mid bite. “That a bad thing?” 

 

“Not really, no,” Reidar pointed a fry at him. “But his last one quit after three days. _Crying_.” 

 

Corey rolled his eyes and shrugged. 

 

Eventually they wrapped up their lunch and Reidar refused the teen’s efforts in helping to pay. 

 

“I insist, it was my invitation to you. I shall pay.” 

 

As they left Reidar pulled Corey close again —by the waist this time— slipping his thumb through and empty belt loop. 

 

“Um, Reidar?” The teen kept pace but felt a little unsure about the open affection. He was used to Jim doing similar things, but the older man’s touch didn’t make him uncomfortable like Jim had. Just curious. 

 

The tall blond hummed in response. 

 

“I don’t want to make this awkward, but with David and all,” Corey’s mind spun to find the right words. “Like, you two are together, and well, you said he likes me.” Reidar hummed an affirmative. “And you said _you_ like me. So, was this, like, a date?” 

 

Internally the teen scolded himself for sounding so juvenile. Okay, he was a teenager, fact, but he didn’t need to be saying ‘ _like_ ’ as if it were some sort of punctuation mark! 

 

Reidar just chuckled though, his thumb rubbing small circles against Corey’s hip. “Not romantically, no.” 

 

Corey paused at the hood of the car, looking up at the other. “So, a platonic date? A ‘friend date’?” 

 

The tall blond appeared to mull the term over then nodded. “Sounds about right.” 

 

Corey smiled softly, receiving a smile in return. 

 

“I’m not going to get blindsided when you tell me a week from now that you are courting me, am I?” The teen playfully narrowed his eyes, raising his chin in a mock challenge. 

 

Reidar unhooked himself and sauntered to the car door in his sinfully tight jeans. “Corey, trust me when I say this: You will _know_ when it is my turn to court you.” 

 

The teen paused in his walk to his own door, eyebrows shooting into his hairline. Reidar stood there leaning his arm against the car, eyes hooded and sultry, grinning in a way that looked down right predatory. It sent shivers down Corey’s spine. Very, very good shivers. 

 

He exhaled heavily as the other slid casually into his seat. “Woof.” 

 

Reidar laughed loudly. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

_“David, I really don’t see what you are so worried about.”_

 

Vann’s voice was coming over the phone via the earpiece David had tucked in. The man had been cleaning out his guest room since he sent Corey off and he was pleased to say that the floor was once again visible. Couldn’t say the same for the attic, but David could live with that. 

 

“Vann, I’m just saying that I _am_ worried,” He expressed as he pushed a hand through his black hair. “You know as well as I do that the guys can be a little overwhelming.” 

 

_“Yes, but Corey has you to help him through it, and Reidar,”_ David’s sister chatted calmly. From the clicking in the background he could only assume that she was typing while she talked. _“We went out for coffee yesterday and he told me a little about the boy. He likes him, you know.”_

 

“Yeah, the two really hit it off.” David shrugged, not caring that the other couldn’t see the action.

 

_“No, David, he_ Likes _him. Capital L.”_

 

David paused and scrunched his brow. “Capital L?” 

 

On the other end his sister hummed and giggled a bit. _“He was real cute about it too. But don’t worry about it, he won’t make a move until you do.”_

 

David sighed, continuing to bustle about and dust. After fresh sheets were placed on the bed and the room was aired out it would easily be considered inhabitable. It was a little barren, but if Corey decided to stay for a while then that could easily be amended. 

 

“Vann, I’m not going to ‘make a move’, Corey’s a teenager,” Sighing a little David sat on the edge of the bed. “I think Corey’s a great kid, but I wouldn’t say I’m there yet.” 

 

_“You can’t have it both ways David,”_ Giovanna warned sharply. _“You can’t bring him everywhere with you all day and swear up and down that he’s adult enough to be working with you and then turn around and start calling him a kid.”_

 

David hung his head a little and let his sister’s words wash over him. He’d known shortly after they met that Corey was special, was important to him. The man had no disillusions to what his friends thought, knew that he had a reputation for adopting strays, but with Corey it was more. They could just talk or joke about anything and everything, David hadn’t really meshed that well right off the bat with someone since Reidar. 

 

And then there was Reidar. Which was a whole different fish. 

 

_“David, are you still there?”_  

 

“Yeah, I’m still here, Vann.” David replied. Standing and walking over to the window he threw it open to let the soft sea breeze in. 

 

_“So...?”_

 

“So, what?” The man snapped a little, walking to his own room to shower and change. 

 

“ _Well, what exactly is your plan, Baby Brother? If you’re not going to make a move are you going to get in Reidar’s way of having a fulfilling relationship?”_

 

David grit his teeth as he pulled off his shirt, tossing it into the hamper and reaching into the shower to turn on the water. 

 

“Reidar is _in_ a fulfilling relationship.” The man ground out as he shuffled out of his jeans. “With. _Me_.”

 

Giovanna laughed on the other end of the line, something that David took a mild offense to. 

 

“ _Please, we both know what you and Reidar have is not a ‘_ relationship _’, if anything you’re two friends who like to poke each other at night.”_

 

Sighing a little David slid down his boxer-briefs and stepped into the shower. His hair was fine, so he probably wouldn’t get his earpiece wet. Probably. 

 

_“Are you in the shower?”_ Vann’s voice came over indignant. 

 

“Yep.” The man grinned as he popped his P and put body wash on his loofa. 

 

_“Ugh, typical.”_

 

“What were you trying to imply earlier, Vann,” David asked. “Did Reidar say something about not being happy with me?” 

 

_“No, David, Reidar_ adores _you. You know that,”_ Vann smoothed over. _“But it’s also not fair to him to string him along if you aren’t willing to finally give him the title. Same goes for Corey.”_

 

“I can’t date two people, Giovanna,” He chuckled as he scrubbed at his arms. “Look, I’ll have a word with Reid after Core’s party on Monday. We’ll figure it all out.” 

 

_“David, you’re playing with two people’s hearts here,_ ” His sister warned. “ _You need to be careful with this.”_  

 

“And I will, promise,” David swore, washing off the suds and flipping the shower off. “You know how I feel about Reidar, but he’s going to have a lot going for him here in a few months and well, I don’t want to hold him back.” 

 

David could hear Vann sigh on her side as he toweled off and walked into his bedroom. Tossing the wet garment back into the bathroom once he was done. 

 

_“David, we both know that is at least a year away, and even then you know Reid would stay with you either way,”_ Vann spoke softly, no longer typing. _“The real question is what’s keeping you from finally telling him?”_

 

“You don’t just tell the guy you’ve been dating for a year that you love him, Vann, that’s not how it goes.” He paused and looked at his choices for underwear, his boxers were soft but his briefs offered more support. Picking out a blue-check pair of boxers the man slid them on and grabbed a white shirt to go with it. 

 

_“David, that’s_ exactly _how it goes.”_ The woman grumbled. _“Momma would be_ so _mad with you if she knew the whole story between you two...”_

 

“Don’t you dare run off and tell Momma on me!” David quickly shot out as he slid into his jeans. Sure he was a twenty six year old, independently well off man, but a boy never truly forgot his mom. 

 

_“So figure this all out by your birthday and I think she won’t have to be any wiser.”_

 

“You’re baiting me,” David chuckled. “Fine, like I said I will figure it all out.” 

 

_“And what about the kid?”_

 

“He’s not a kid, Vann.” He sighed out, getting dangerously close to being done with his sister for the day.

 

“ _Precisely_ ,” Vann chirped, making David realize just what he said to her. “ _Ta_!” 

 

“Dammit, Vann!” David yelled down the line as it clicked off. 

 

Sitting down roughly on his bed David took his ear piece out and none too gently tossed it on his bedside table. 

 

“Dammit.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have a question for any/all of my readers who feel up to answering. How do you all feel about a polyamorous relationship forming between Corey, David, and Reidar? I know that's kind of what I've been hinting at the last few chapters and to be completely honest I'm just kind of going with the flow and that's where the boys seem to be taking me. Thoughts/feelings, let me know! 
> 
> Next Week: Corey's Party and he finally gets to meet all the other guys in person!
> 
> Thanks for reading all and as always comments/kudos are appreciated. ^^


	11. Grandfathered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so this chapter was _supposed_ to be the party for Corey and his first day of work, but this is what happened instead  >w> I'm sorry but the boys took over for a minute. 
> 
> This chapter is a little shorter but the next one is a monster so it should make up for it. 
> 
> That is all. Enjoy!

 

Saturday, Corey decided, had been a good day. He could have done without the early — _Six fifteen!_ — wakeup call, but he also got to claim the last of his things, got to see Reidar scare the crap out of Jim, had the man flirt with him some, and even had David’s feelings explained to him. For the teen it was a bit to take in but Corey decided he could deal with it. 

 

David had been a little grumpy and distant when they first came back though whatever was bothering him had dissipated quickly as Reidar retold their tale. After Reidar returned to his own house —leaving with a tame peck on the lips for David and an overzealous headlock for Corey—the teen was shown what would be his new room. 

 

It was on the front end of the house, a large part of the outside wall being a window that looked out over the cul-de-sac. At first Corey thought it was a little strange, being half glass the room didn’t offer much privacy but then he reasoned that since they lived in a gated community there wasn’t much need for it. The walls that did exist were almost stark white but were tinted with just the barest hint of blue. There wasn’t much, just a bed and a dresser, an empty closet. Corey was starting all over again and with time he could make it his again. 

 

Corey had thanked David and the man suggested that he get all of this things and get settled in. 

 

Dinner was a calm affair, and if David drank a little more than Corey was used to he didn’t mention it. Afterwards the two of them had cleaned up and then settled in the entertainment room, watching some old flick that was on. David had an arm draped over the back of the couch but his fingers dangled down on Corey’s nape and they lazily played with the short hair there. By the time the movie ended Corey was tucked into David’s side comfortably and the man’s large arm was holding him close. 

 

Corey held the image in his head as he replayed Reidar’s earlier words. From day one the teen knew that he liked what he saw when looking at David —the guy was a tall, dark, hunk of muscle— and as time passed Corey realized that he really liked the man beneath all of that as well. Reidar had called it a softness, which he could agree with. David made demands, he had his hard edges, but he was also gentle and caring. 

 

Not that it stopped Corey from having the fantasy of rough hands and wet bodies in the shower.

 

By the time he had gone to bed David was puttering around upstairs but seemed to be agitated again. He’d bid the other a good night and the man had stopped what he was doing to smile softly at him and wish him one in return. 

 

It was too soon to really say fully, but Corey strongly believed that he was in love with David. 

 

Something that he took back on Sunday. 

 

David was a monster. 

 

An early rising monster with some sort of sick fetish for waking up his housemates and a terrifying sense of style. 

 

Or maybe it was demanding. 

 

Either way Corey was having none of it. 

 

The teen was roused by a towel baring David at six o’clock and was instructed to get ready and dressed by seven. They had gotten a bite to eat on the road —which homemade quality cinnamon buns went a long way of forgiving the man of his sins— but when David had pulled up to the local strip mall the teen felt a sudden sense of dread fill him. 

 

So there he found himself, at a quarter after eight trying on and being judged in what felt like every single damned shirt the damned store owned. 

 

“David, how is this any different than the other three I just had on?” Corey moaned, once again stepping out of the dressing room. 

 

“I like you in plaid,” David smirked, the man sipping on a latté that he somehow obtained. “Just deciding what colors look good on you the best. You look like a Summer.” 

 

The teen narrowed his eyes threateningly, not understanding what the other meant at all. 

 

“I think once your tan fades a little you’ll freckle up real nice,” The man laughed as Corey huffed and stormed back into the dressing stall. “I rather like the purple, navy, and green on you. Surprisingly, the dark red also looked nice, but we’re only buying that orange monstrosity if we plan on burning it.” 

 

That went on for another ten minutes once David decided upon a ‘light summer palette’. Fifteen shirts were chosen in varying patterns of plaids, solids, and pinstripes, all collared and able to be rolled up to the elbow. 

 

“You have nice arms,” David commented as they gathered their final choices. “Rolling up your sleeves will accentuate that if you aren’t wearing a jacket. Now c’mon, pants and belts are next!”

 

Three hours, countless fittings, and four mysterious lattés later Corey had a completely new wardrobe that would soon go to fill his closet and drawers at home. The teen was ready to drop by that point but he felt like David could have gone on all day.

 

“You’re a monster.” He voiced, melting into the car seat beneath him. 

 

David cruelly laughed and the car began rolling down the roads. 

 

“Oh, it wasn’t _that_ bad,” The man chuckled. “Just try going with Reidar or Neal, they both avoid shopping like it was the plague.” 

 

“Ugh,” Corey moaned. “Well, kindly add me to that list. I don’t think I’ve ever even spent that much time in a store before.” 

 

David hummed. “And your wardrobe showed it.” 

 

“Hey!” The blond sat up straight in his seat. 

 

The other just laughed and shook his head. “Corey, I don’t mean this in the bad way, but you seriously dressed like a teenager who had never had anyone but their mother buy them clothes.”

 

“I _am_ a teenager who never had someone other than their mother buy them clothes.” Corey snarked. 

 

Once again David laughed but he shrugged. “Well, starting Monday I want you to dress at least business casual for work, feel free to take charge of your own day-to-day clothes if you want.” 

 

Shaking his head Corey sighed at the very thought of going shopping again but he did have to admit that it was nice to have new clothes again. 

 

“Thanks.” He eventually said, looking over at David.

 

“You’re welcome.” David replied with a soft smile. 

 

The rest of Sunday was filled with Corey doing laundry to clean all of his new purchases as well as him updating his new phone with all of his old numbers and accounts. He was carefully hanging up his shirts when the thing buzzed and chirped at him. Corey hadn’t had time to personalize all the tones so he wasn’t sure what to expect. 

 

[ 1 New Email ]

 

Frowning a little Corey clicked on the app and opened his emails. Most of them were quite old, he had a newer one through the studios for all of his professional contacts, but there was one new one blinking on top of all the others. 

 

It had been sent a few days ago and was titled ‘ Too good to talk to the old man? ’. It was from his Papa, which made Corey realize how long it had been since he had been in contact with his family. Clicking on it the teen smirked a little at the picture that first showed. It was just a cropped sectioned of the elderly man’s face as if he were glaring at him over a newspaper. 

 

_[ ‘I could have sworn you were raised better.’]_

 

Corey snorted but rolled his eyes. His Papa was getting up there in age but was still sharp as a tack, had a dry sense of sarcastic humor that few were well insulated from. But he knew the man well enough to know what was legitimate criticism or a jest. 

 

Hitting the reply button Corey sat down on his bed and quickly began tapping away at tiny buttons.

 

_[ ‘I am so sorry, Papa, I love you!_

 

_I know it has been a really long time since your last letter, things here got seriously busy for me and I’m just now getting a few minutes on my feet._

 

_A lot has happened lately but I am safe and happy. I got a job!’]_

 

Sending the message out into cyberspace Corey went back to hanging his shirts but kept the phone tucked in his back pocket. David had gotten him a few pairs of jeans that were cut just right to be tight but not skinny, made his ass look fantastic if he was being honest, and Corey had taken no time at all to change into them over his older baggy pants. Frankly, the teen never knew denim could be this comfortable. 

 

Once again his phone dinged and vibrated. And if that made Corey jump just a little, nobody else was in the room to prove it if he denied it. 

 

_[ ‘Oh?_

 

_And what sort of things are keeping my grandson so busy that they can not take the time to send a lonely old man a quick message?_

 

_I text!_

 

_I’m hip!_

 

_It’s not that Jim character again, is it?’ ]_

 

Rolling his eyes Corey chuckled and shook his head. His Papa had never made it a secret that he didn’t like Jim, always called him trouble. When he came out Papa had been the most supportive of the family, even went as far as to bring to attention that he knew a nice lady —meaning his ‘girlfriend’ at the time— who had a lovely grandson that was studying to be a doctor. 

 

[ _‘No, it was not Jim._

 

_You know about Jr. and Leena?’_

 

_And,_ please _, lonely my butt! I think you are the only man to ever been removed from a retirement facility because you were ‘too suave and kept seducing all the ladies’._ ]

 

Papa Olsen was a regular ol’ Casanova, at seventy nine he still had all his teeth, a full head of hair, and just as much game as he had as a twenty year old on the prowl. It was endearing to Corey, that the man didn’t let time take his passion or ability to love away from him. They had all mourned when his grandmother passed, though they understood when his Papa stated that she wouldn’t have wanted him to be alone forever. 

 

Now a days it just caused the teen to laugh at the thought that his grandfather was more of a player than he was. 

 

When his phone beeped there was a gif of a cat slowly raising its brow waiting for him.

 

_[ ‘Of course I know. I know everything. ]_

 

Snorting the teen typed back. 

 

_[ ‘Well then, if you know everything then I don’t need to tell you anything. ]_

 

Corey could just imagine the sassy hum that had to have earned him. Jogging down the stairs he almost collided with David but the man had caught him by the arms before either of them tripped. 

 

“Woah, there, Tiger. What’s the rush?” He smirked. 

 

The teen scrunched up his nose at the nickname. “Just finishing up laundry.” 

 

“Good, I got my own to do,” David chuckled. “Gotta make sure I have something clean to wear tomorrow.” 

 

Once again Corey snorted and chuckled. “Gross.” 

 

“Gross would be not wearing anything clean.” The man corrected as he let go. 

 

The blond laughed and danced away as his phone noted him. 

 

“And I just checked,” David spoke as he started up the stairs. “We have a shoot tomorrow, so be ready to go by eight!” 

 

Corey paused halfway in the doorway. “It’s the underwear shoot, right?” 

 

“Yep,” The out of sight man chirped back. “And swimwear.” 

 

“Oh, goodie.” He smirked, going to fetch his laundry and check his phone.  

 

_[ ‘You mean to say how you moved out of Alden’s house a couple of weeks ago, then seemed to disappear?_

 

_He’s been trying to get ahold of you, you know.’ ]_

 

Shit. Corey blanched and quickly switched over to his messages. They were marked as old but there they were. Jr. had been texting him several times a day for the last few days. Going back to the conversation with his grandfather Corey responded to him first. 

 

_[ ‘Still creepy how you do that._

 

_I moved out to make room for the baby. I did move in with Jim for a little while but it didn’t work out, so I’m actually living with a different friend.’ ]_

 

Switching back over to his brother he typed out a text while chewing on his lip a little. 

 

[ I am soooooo sorry. My phone got busted and I just got a replacement. I am alive! ]

 

Looking at the clock Corey figured he’d have another hour or so before Jr. got off work and royally chewed him out. Folding the still warm undershirts and tees the teen waited in trepidation. 

 

_[ ‘Son, I was not a cop for over forty years just rotting behind a desk._

 

_Corey, a boy your age should be living with his parents. I can not begin to express how much that still angers me. Your father is generally a god man, but I can not look passed the situation he has put you in._

 

_I will be getting the name of this ‘friend’. ]_

 

Wincing a little the teen debated on telling the man the truth or not. Eventually he would find out, his grandfather had crazy connections. But that would take time and by then there wouldn’t be anything shady going on. On the other hand honesty went over a lot better. 

 

[ _‘Before you freak out I want to say that nothing bad has happened to me and that I am in no way being taken advantage of.’_ ]

 

_[ ‘Son, that is no way to reassure anyone of anything.’ ]_ The reply came back quickly. 

 

_ [ ‘Sorry.' _

_ So, I met this guy a few months back. And yes, he’s older, but he’s really nice and he’s helping me out a lot. He’s gotten me a job that offers benefits and will give me experience in my field. He is a friend. We are not dating or sleeping together. Nothing illegal is going on between us.’ ] _

 

Hauling his load upstairs Corey waited and waited as he put things away, just waiting for the storm to come in. Eventually his phone buzzed and he opened the message. 

 

_ [ ‘And does this ‘Not-boyfriend-but-housemate-older-but-nice-job-giving-fella have a name?’ ] _

 

The teen cringed and typed out his response.

 

_ [ ‘David Acciaio.’ ] _

 

Once again his phone laid dead on his dresser and Corey listened to David humming along to some jazz number that he was playing in his room. If he had to the teen would have hazarded the guess that he was exfoliating and going through his hair removal regimen. 

 

“Hey Core!” David’s voice rang through the house. “You know if the shoot tomorrow wants us cleaned up?” 

 

Corey paused and thought, trying to recall. 

 

“It should be in the memo,” The man informed. “Just want to know if I should bother shaving or not.” 

 

Ha! He was right!

 

Tapping at his phone Corey checked the schedule and looked up what they needed to know. “Uh, no, they want you to be rough. I guess the company is Australian or something?” 

 

“They’re out of New Guinea, actually,” David’s soft chuckle traveled well. “Thanks.” 

 

“That’s my job.” Corey reminded. 

 

“Quite literally!” The older man laughed and the sound of water splashing followed.

 

Then his phone buzzed.

 

[ _ ‘... _

_... _

_... _

_... _

_.. _

_.. _

_. _

_. _

_. _

_ Young man, this wouldn’t happen to be the same David Acciaio that owns major shares in a company known as Steel Studios is it? The same one well known for his acting career with the same studios?’ ]  _

 

Biting the bullet Corey quickly admitted his guilt and then flipped the phone over as if that would solve all his problems. 

 

David passed his open door just seconds later, bare chested with a towel draped over his wide shoulders. 

 

“You okay Core?” He paused, leaning back into the doorway. “You look a little pale.”

 

“Uh, I think so?” The teen admitted. 

 

“You think so?” David stepped into the doorway fully, a slight frown developing on his face. 

 

“Yeah...” Corey frowned and stepped back to sit on his bed. “Uh, my grandfather and I were talking. Well, one thing led to another and now he knows that I’m living with you.” 

 

“Okay,” The man leaned on the doorframe. “And?” 

 

“David, I should be living with my parents!” The teen erupted. “Do you realize how much trouble we could all be in if somebody blew the whistle on us? Not to mention with your occupation somebody would no doubt start pointing fingers and throwing accusations. This could be really bad...” 

 

David paused and looked at him for a few seconds before stepping into the room and sitting next to the teen. Corey felt the man’s arm slide behind his back to offer support. 

 

“Core, I can’t begin to tell you how pissed I am that your father behaved in such an _abhorrent_ manner that he was able to chase you from your home. That man is your father, he should be protecting you and love you unconditionally, not kicking you out to the streets,” The dark haired man let out a heavy self calming sigh. "And trust me, when you're eighteen he will be hearing major words from me." 

 

Corey couldn’t help but chuckle. It was just too funny. 

 

“What?” The dark haired man leaned back, looking offended. 

 

“Nothing, it’s just that my grandfather said damn near those exact same words,” Shrugging Corey looked down at his hands. “I mean, it’s not funny —it actually really sucks— but I’ve gotten over it. Y’know, it’s not worth the worry or hate. Not healthy to carry that around with me.” 

 

The teen caught David’s soft smile out of the corner of his eye and leaned into the larger man a little. They sat like that for a minute of so before Corey’s phone began to ring. 

 

Reaching over and grabbing it he didn’t even bother to check the caller ID. 

 

“Hello, Papa.”

 

_“Hello? Hello?!”_ His grandfather’s voice ranted from the other end of the line. _“My grandson just gets done telling me that he’s living with a porn star who is ten years older than him and all I get is ‘hello’?”_

 

“Papa,” Corey sighed out in that signature teenage way. “David’s been really good to me. I don’t care what he does for his job because that shouldn’t matter. And it’s only nine years.” 

 

_“Oh, well, if it’s only_ nine _years...,”_ Sass was really the man’s language. _“He’s not making you appear in any of his ‘films’ is he? I swear to God if he is—”_

 

“No! Nothing like that,” The teen shook his head. “I’m going to be his assistant, strictly behind the scenes.” 

 

The man huffed on the other end. _“Is he there?”_

 

“Pardon?” Corey froze. 

 

_“I wish to know if the young man is there with you, Corey.”_ Papa Olsen spoke calmly. _“If my grandson is going to be living with him I’d like to at least have a conversation with him.”_

 

Corey cast a look over to David, the man just sitting there looking curious. 

 

“Uh, yeah, here.” As Corey handed over the phone he could hear his grandfather scolding him for saying ‘uh’. David gave him a confused look but with a shrug of his own the teen urged him to take the phone. 

 

“Hello?” Dark brows lowered over bright eyes, the man standing. 

 

Corey watched as first David’s ears began to burn bright red, his shoulders hunch up, and then he begin to pace. The teen could just hear the barest hints of his grandfather’s voice ranting over the line, catching David’s sparse responses every so often. 

 

“Certainly, Sir.” David clipped, standing straight and nodding. "Understood."

 

“It will be a pleasure.” And then he hung up. 

 

David pulled the phone away from his head and looked down at it in his hand. 

 

“So?” Corey prompted after a few moments of silence. 

 

David sighed and shook his head. “First, your grandfather's terrifying. Secondly, he’s going to be in town for the Forth of July, we’ll be seeing him for lunch.” 

 

Corey groaned and flopped back on his bed. Moments later David fell face first into the covered mattress, grumbling a little. 

 

“If he ends up shooting me, I’m sending you the bill.” The man groused. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Week: Corey's Party ((I promise!))
> 
> ((Also, for anyone who is also reading my other work 'Over the Barrel' I am sorry that I didn't post last Friday. I'm facing a serious issue with writer's block on the chapter in the works but it should be up this week. ))


	12. Putting a Shrimp on the Barbie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, after a bit of a break here is the absolutely massive chapter twelve! 
> 
> My poor laptop is still on the fritz so I'm having to work on other machines that I have available to me. ((Fun Fact: a good portion of this was typed up on a tablet!))

“So that’s Twinker Bell, huh?” 

 

Neal’s voice cut through the focus David had on applying his sunscreen. 

 

“Don’t call him that.” He grumbled under his breath.

 

After making sure to put on a nice even coat the dark haired man tossed the bottle over to his friend. The weather was nice for the shoot, still not all that warm but the sun was out and the sky was clear so it gave the beach a fresh look.

 

“Be sure to be thorough, Ginge, don’t need you burnt up by noon.” 

 

Neal grumbled a little but did as told. Being a natural redhead he had a pale complexion that didn’t tan but rather burned, which David knew wasn’t healthy. With a speculative gaze he made sure Neal got all the hard to reach places as well. Both of them were stripped down to swim trunks that bore exotic designs that would be part of the first shoot, they would change into more revealing swimwear afterward and then the shoot would reconvene after lunch indoors to do the underwear shots. 

 

A lady with a headset came and checked on them and took the sunscreen away with her then went to check on the other models. Three girls stood on the other side of the bluff, chatting away as they put on their solar guard. Neal had been eying them up a little, but David made him behave. Each of them were wearing a different style, one was in a one-piece, another wore a bikini, and the last wore smaller swim trunks and a tube top. 

 

“Looks like your little assistant is quite the barker.” Neal commented, nodding over to where Corey was clearly having strong words with the photographer, the taller narrow man waving his hands about and using his height to loom. 

 

David didn’t like that the older man was trying to intimidate Corey but the teen seemed unfazed. 

 

Corey himself looked sharp. He had dressed up in a pair of slacks and picked the lavender plaid shirt to wear on his first day with a darker purple bow-tie. With his blond hair spiked up and styled Corey looked like he matched well with the industry. Though the teen was barefoot, not wanting to ruin his new loafers it seemed. 

 

When the teen started to wave his folder of papers about David decided it was time to intervene. Jogging over he caught just the very end of what Corey was saying. 

 

“—It’s in the contract, David is not doing that. Neither is Neal.” 

 

“And are you their legal representation?” The photographer sneered. “You look a little _young_ for that.” 

 

David caught Corey’s face heat up but stepped in before things escalated any further. 

 

“Everything okay here?” 

 

“This _boy_ is simply telling me how to do my job.” The photographer rolled his eyes, clearly expecting a fellow adult to take his side. 

 

“This guy is trying to break contract, David,” Corey quickly combated. “He wants to take pictures that show more skin that what the contract framed.” 

 

“We are not here to take nudes, Mr. Tosk.” The larger man straitened his spine and crossed his muscular arms. 

 

“Like you of all people mind,” The skinny man scoffed. “Please, it’s art.” 

 

“You can and will be replaced, Mr. Tosk,” David’s voice filled with iron. “I can not speak for the young women but Mr. McNeal and I both have contracts with our studio —that you agreed to— stating that will not be part of this shoot.” 

 

“I am a personal friend of the designer, he requested me specifically,” Mr. Tosk said haughtily. “I don’t see why both of us can not get what we want from you.” 

 

David rose a dark brow and shrugged. “So, you aren’t willing to stay within the contract?” 

 

“It’s a silly clause anyway,” The man sniffed. “Everyone else is on board.” 

 

Nodding a little he let his blue eyes flit over to Corey for a moment. “Mr. Olsen?” 

 

“Sir?” Corey attentively perked up and tucked the folder of papers up under arm. 

 

“Call the studios, ask Vann if we can borrow Ms. Yets for a few hours,” David turned to the man standing there and nodded. “Mr. Tosk, I’d like to thank you for your time but as it turns out your services will no longer be needed.” 

 

The man stumbled over his words and sputtered, face reddening. “You can not do that! This is my shoot!” 

 

“Corey,” The dark haired man looked back over to his assistant. “Who is paying for this shoot?” 

 

“That would be Steel Studios, Mr. Acciaio.” The short blond responded crisply. 

 

He was a natural. 

 

Nodding again David smiled softly. “As I said, Mr. Tosk, we thank you for your time.”

 

The photographer huffed and sneered but spun around and stormed away. Both David and Corey watched him go. 

 

“Can you actually do that?” 

 

David smirked and winked back. “There are perks to being the boss,” Patting his assistant on the shoulder the tall man began to walk away. “Good catch, Core.” 

 

They had to wait half an hour longer for Terry to get to the shoot, her own photography equipment tucked under arm. In her spare time the woman saw to weddings and recorded other things onto film, David never liked throwing away good people but he knew just as well that Ms. Yets could get the job done just as well. 

 

Corey spent that time chatting with the various other staff members that spotted the beach, asking about some of the equipment they had or what they would be doing. He hadn’t really been able to see it before but David noticed how the blond’s eyes lit up with the new information and how happy he was. 

 

Neal also took advantage of the extra time to flirt with the girls, two sisters named Mickey and Tasha then a third girl named Hannah. They were apparently local and went to the college in town. David gripped the back of Neal’s neck when he made a slightly too crass joke but Tasha picked it right up and asked him if his carpets matched his drapes. 

 

He had laughed so hard at the stunned face that Neal had David swore he ruptured something. 

 

That seemed to preset the mood for the shoot and once everybody was ready they got to it. At first it was all generic beach stuff, jogging in the waves, tossing a frisbee, that sort of stuff but then Terry called for a few different poses. 

 

David was paired with Mickey and he swept the petite twenty-something off her feet and spun them in a loose, slow circle. The angle was a little bit of an upshot and it played with the sun dancing off the scattering water droplets, it also cleverly showed the logo that rode on David’s waistband. 

 

Next Neal was told to pick Hannah up on his shoulders and smile up at her. It looked a little funny because Neal wasn’t all that tall and Hannah was a tall Amazon of a blond, but the two of them pulled it off. 

 

Somebody had apparently brought a dog and the curly haired mutt ran around for a few shots. 

 

David and Neal did a shot from behind, both of them standing in a similar pose that showed off tight buns and swollen biceps. Next to each of them was a surfboard that bared the designer’s logo. 

 

Then it was time for the speedos. 

 

Neal was cheeky and dropped his trunks right there, causing the two sisters to catcall him and Hannah to blush. David wasn’t raised in a barn so he took advantage of one of the changing tents. When he stepped out Corey was standing right next to it, whistling lowly. 

 

“Yikes, that thing going to stay on, champ?” The blond teased, eyes locked on to what David knew to be a near obscene bulge. 

 

“Trust me,” The darker man nodded curtly. “This damn thing is so tight it isn’t going to go anywhere.” 

 

“You okay?” Corey’s eyes rose and met his, concern tinting them. “We can see if there is another pair laying around or something.”

 

The thought warmed David’s heart a little and he smiled but shook his head. “It’s alright, I just don’t really wear these things for a reason.” 

 

“Yeah, I see why.” The teen chuckled and shrugged. “Though, I could have sworn seeing you in them before.” 

 

David coughed and blushed a little. Puberty hit the Acciaio men hard, it took their sweet little boys and molded them into strong strapping men. It also left them with rather impressive endowments, a fact that David had known for years. 

 

He was both blessed and cursed to be one of those guys who was a both ‘grower’ and ‘shower’. 

 

“Uh, their custom fit.” He eventually muttered. 

 

Testing the waistline of the small blue number now offering him any sense of modesty with his thumb David began to walk away, freezing at the wolf whistle behind him. 

 

“Dig the racing stripes.” Corey taunted. 

 

Ears burning David decided not to comment and continued on his path. He thought the very same thing when he first saw the swimwear, they were a nice dark blue like his car and also sported two white stripes that framed the hindquarters well. Knowing his luck the damn things would probably turn to glass the second they got wet. 

 

Neal was teasing the girls again but they more than held their ground. His own speedo was a dark red with black stripes. Neal was a good looking guy, but not completely the right body for a speedo. He was too bulky to really pull it off fully, lacked the nice tapered shoulder to waist ratio. If David had been in full control he would have waited till Peter was available. The guy was adorable in the boy-next-door sort of way but also pulled off the college student look all too easily. Out of all of them he was probably the smallest in overall mass, taller than Neal but losing to everyone else buy at least twenty pounds of muscle. 

 

David believed the word the kid used to describe himself was ‘Twunk’. 

 

The dark haired man thought it was a little silly but Peter’s views and popularity didn’t lie, that and he was a real sweetheart to work with. 

 

“Damn, Steel,” Tasha grinned wolfishly. “You hiding a sea monster or are you just happy to see us?” 

 

David shook his head but laughed with the others, allowing the easy mood to flow over him and continue throughout the shoot. 

 

By lunch he was sweaty and had applied a second coat of sunscreen —poor Neal had gone through four—and David was looking forward to the easier underwear shoot. That would just be him and Neal at the studios. 

 

Corey was chatting with the girls, handing over all their proper paperwork and informing them that the swimwear was theirs to keep, complimentary. David chuckled as Mickey leaned forward and pecked the blond on the cheek, which made him blush. 

 

“Woo!” The petite brunette swung her arms up over her head. “You know what I like about these trunks?” 

 

The girl’s sister laughed but shook her head. “What?” 

 

“Pockets!” Mickey gleefully answered, using her hands to show the large pockets on the shorts at their fullest. 

 

David laughed as he walked up to Corey. 

 

“You okay there, Champ?” He winked, freely mocking the teen with the familiar nickname. 

 

“Uh, yeah...” The blond muttered, blankly looking ahead. 

 

“Yeah?” David rose a brow. 

 

“I think college girls have a thing for me...” 

 

The man slowly raised his other brow, wondering exactly what Corey meant but before he could ask Neal was coming up to them and clasping him on the shoulders. 

 

“So, who’s ready for lunch?”

 

* * *

 

Having lunch with Neal was an experience, putting it nicely. Corey had been familiar with the red-head in theory —he’d seen pictures of him online, read interviews, and had even reviewed his file before the shoot— but none of that had prepared him for the man in reality. 

 

Neal wasn’t all that much taller than Corey, just a few inches at the most, but his barn-door wide shoulders and bulkier build made him seem a lot bigger. That and his volume. Corey didn’t have an issue with his loudness —the teen actually appreciated that some boomed with enthusiasm— though while some like Reidar radiated exuberance, Neal was just brash. 

 

He reminded Corey of a few of Jr.’s friends that had been indoctrinated into the frat life. Occasionally the man’s mossy green eyes would dart and meet his own, ending with a wink before settling back on something else. As if he knew something Corey didn’t know. 

 

David had sat down next to Corey, one arm resting on the table with the other draped over the back of the booth they sat in. The larger man had gotten a simple hamburger with fries which he shoved over from time to time for him to pick at. Corey otherwise enjoyed the seafood salad he ordered. 

 

Neal demolished several calzones, a strawberry milkshake, and was working though his third basket of onion rings. 

 

“You do remember that we still have a shoot to finish, right?” David teased. 

 

The red-head chuckled. “Not my problem,” He grinned. “I ain’t one of you Ab-Blasted pretty boys. I can eat whatever I want.” 

 

Corey snickered a little and waved his fork about. “He’s right, you know, studies show that these days women prefer a little more to grab onto these days. Neal is just trying to appeal to his target demographic.” 

 

Eyes narrowing the other model frowned. “You calling me fat, Blondie?”

 

Said blond rolled his eyes playfully and shrugged. “I’m just giving David the facts, that’s all.” 

 

The dark haired man beside him bit back a laugh but Neal continued to frown. 

 

“Your boy here has a mouth on him, David.” Neal grumbled, sulking back to his food. 

 

“C’mon, Core,” David smirked, tapping Corey on the shoulder in mild reprimand. “Don’t tease the animals.” 

 

After lunch they returned to the studios and once again found themselves on a set. 

 

It was a place that Corey remembered quite well, and his heart probably stopped for a full minute when he realized that the lockers were painted an all too familiar burgundy hue. The first time he’d ever seen it was years ago in a blurry clip that he scrounged up on the internet. It was also the first time he’d ever seen David, was introduced to Magnum. David’s knowing smirk told Corey that he knew the teen too well but gratefully the man didn’t say anything. 

 

Since they were at the studios they were using their own crew and equipment, which was already set up and waiting for them. 

 

“I didn’t realize that there were such things as designer jockstraps.” Corey muttered, holding one up in evidence. 

 

“Fondle your boyfriend’s undies and leave mine alone.” Neal grumbled as he walked by, deftly snatching the black pouched article as he went. 

 

The teen snorted with a roll of his eyes. Neal’s shoot was focused on sportswear, the man was modeling a few pieces of thermal gear as well as a few different jockstraps, socks, and shoes, all while wearing a heavy set of football pads. The entire time he grumbled about people not knowing the difference between football and rugby, the later clearly superior in his opinion. Corey snickered when the man’s makeup artist smacked him with a brush and told him to hold still while she worked. 

 

David’s shoot on the other hand was for more casual wear, underwear that was meant to be day to day but also hold a certain amount of allure. Though whether that was because of the briefs or because of the man was anybody’s guess. Corey liked to think it was a little bit of both. David was chatting with his makeup artist, a person that had introduced themselves as Xan. They were a willowy blond with a soft face but a deeper voice, which admittedly threw the teen off a little bit. Corey eventually caught on that David repeatedly used neutral pronouns and then things clicked. Smiling softly he kept his realization to himself but from the wink that David shot him the teen figured he wasn’t all that successful. 

 

“This company is an interesting choice, Boss.” Xan spoke as they played with David’s hair, though it almost seemed like they were teasing the peaks back and forth just for something to do. 

 

The man chuckled and shrugged. “They responded to our bid and we weren’t busy doing anything else.” 

 

“True,” Xan sighed and pulled their hands back. “Though I don’t think this is what your fans wanted when they said they missed you on the big screen.” 

 

This time David laughed, throwing his head back and all. “Is that an offer?” 

 

“Please,” The tall blond teasingly mocked. “The world isn’t ready for that amount of hotness.” 

 

Corey smirked off to the side, making sure to stand out of the way. So far he had fielded a few calls for David but other than that had been pretty free. He watched Neal’s shoot a little and admired the man’s heftier build. While his skin was pale it had an appealing dusting of freckles that mantled over his shoulders and cutely kissed his nose, Neal was a little tanned from being out in the sun earlier but Corey figured that was about all the man could safely get before burning. He hadn’t spent more than a few minutes browsing Neal’s pictures before, and the man only had solo vids or was shot with women so Corey wasn’t all that interested in him before. He still really wasn’t, but he was a teenager and would gladly ogle available eye candy. 

 

Admittedly, the way the guy had a solid frame with bulging pecs and just the barest hint of a six-pack was a bit of a turn on. Then Corey let his eyes drift back to David. 

 

He was definitely a turn on. 

 

Before he could mull that over more Corey felt his phone buzz in his pocket. The other day when he was fiddling with the thing he realized that he could set it up to only notify him for specific things from specific people, which was nice because that meant he would only get notifications about work things while on the job. 

 

_[Come to my room for a moment? -R.F. ]_

 

Corey checked in with David, the man was reviewing his wardrobe for the shoot. So he’d be a while. 

 

[Sure. -C.O. ]

 

Turning out the door he walked down a few halls and then came to Reidar’s room. Knocking before entering the blond pulled up short when the larger blond’s bare back greeted him, the very top of his tush peeking out from over the towel he wore. 

 

“Good afternoon, Corey.” The man’s sparkling blue eyes catching his with a chuckle. 

 

“Hey, Reid,” Corey closed the door behind himself and smiled a little. “What can I do for you?” 

 

Picking up a comb Reidar began puling it through his still damp hair. “Well, I have a parcel for you to take to David. But I thought I’d also take the time to ask you how your first day was going?” 

 

Shrugging with a smile the teen leaned back against the model’s door. 

 

“Well, we had a small issue on the beach shoot, but it’s been smooth sailing since.” 

 

“Good,” Reidar smiled. “I am glad that the work is suiting you.”

 

Nodding along Corey sighed. “Me too.” 

 

“Well, I should be letting you get back to work, David can be a complete diva if left alone for too long,” The older blond said with a wink. “Make sure he gets this, it’s something he ordered but the postman dropped it off while he was out.” 

 

Picking up the nondescript brown box Corey nodded and tucked it under arm. “Will do.” 

 

“Very good,” Reidar smiled, standing and moving to his dresser. “Then I shall probably see you next back home. I need to begin getting ready for my own shoot.” 

 

Saluting a little at the dismissal the teen backed out. “I’m looking forward to it, good luck!” 

 

Reidar’s laughter chased him halfway down the hall. 

 

When he got back to the shoot David was chatting with Xan again and another technician was working in what looked like a gentle layer of baby oil. Just enough to make his muscles stand out but not appear shiny. 

 

“Talk about best job ever.” Corey teased as he approached. 

 

The female tech blushed a little and bit her lip, hands freezing as David’s muscles danced with laughter. 

 

Xan batted at the girl’s small ponytail playfully. “Yes, well remember, Miss, David may be a fun toy to look at but his head is about as empty as a potato chip bag.” 

 

“Hey!” David’s laugher abruptly stopped and the large man pouted. 

 

Corey was just about to say something but then he caught Xan’s teasing wink. 

 

“Package came for you, Ser,” He eventually spoke up, motioning at the box. “Reidar had it.” 

 

David’s eyes lit up and he grinned. “Oh good! Just set it on my make up table and I’ll take a look at it when I get a chance.” 

 

Corey did as told but didn’t return as the shoot began. Most of the shoot seemed pretty basic, David posed, lights were adjusted, pictures were taken, rinse and repeat. Some angles were clearly meant to be more erotic than others, situations changed. Corey really liked the one taken about halfway through the shoot. It was set up so that it appeared that David was just getting dressed after going to the gym, stripped down (Or dressed up?) to nothing but his underwear, tube socks, and shoes. In one hand he held a dark blue jersey of some sort and the other was braced on the metal frame in front of him. The shot caught his bare wide shoulders that tapered down to the tight pair of black and blue briefs that hugged his curves amazingly well but had also been tipped down slightly to show just a tiny bit of cheek. 

 

David had also peaked over his shoulder at the camera, bright blue eyes piercing through the lens in a sensual, sexy way that was tinted with just the barest of a blush. But the best part was that when he looked back David’s gaze had caught with Corey’s and the man didn’t look away until the shot was deemed fit. 

 

After that Corey was a little bit distracted but did his best to remain professional. 

 

When the photographer called for a short break while he changed memory cards David strolled back over in a cosy looking robe. 

 

“Working hard?” 

 

“You have no idea.” Corey muttered under his breath. 

 

David hummed in return and checked out his mail, slitting the tape with the end of a brush. The man grinned and pulled something out of the box but Corey wasn’t completely able to see what it was. 

 

“Perfect,” The dark haired man said after a moment, packing it all away. “Core, c’mere.” 

 

Corey walked over and tilted his head in question. 

 

“I want you to go take this over to Neal,” He held out a standard sized envelope. “We’re running something around among us models and I just got what we needed to get it going. It’s need to know, so if my sister is snooping around somewhere tell her that you are under my direct orders that it is for model eyes only.” 

 

“Will do.” Corey smiled a little as he took the letter. The whole deal seemed a little middle school to him, but who was he to judge how these grown men spent their spare time. 

 

Scanning the other side of the set he spotted Neal reclining against a bench-press, though he seemed to just be relaxing since there wasn’t a photographer anywhere near. 

 

Walking over Corey stopped just short on his left side and chuckled a little. The man seemed to be dozing, arm draped over his eyes casually. 

 

“Yo, Ginger-Pits,” The blond teased, nudging the man in the bicep with the letter. “Got a package for ya.” 

 

“I don’t buy that line, Kid,” Neal smirked but sat up. His green eyes filled with impish joy when he spotted the envelope. “David sending around one of those stupid ‘model-only’ letters again?” 

 

“Looks like.” Corey shrugged a little, holding it out. 

 

Rolling his eyes the man snorted and snatched it up. “Hold up,” Neal snagged one of Corey’s belt loops quickly. “David’ll want this to be run past Darren too.” Neal scanned the letter but held it so Corey couldn’t see it. “Gotta pen?” 

 

“Sure.” The teen nodded and held out a small ball-point. He’d been carrying a few with him around the shoots just in case. 

 

“There,” Neal smirked, tucking the letter away. “David sends these stupid things around every time he wants to do a barbecue, it’s his way of RVSPing. Like he couldn’t just text us all or hunt us down at home.” Shaking his head a little the man held it back over. “Darren is normally here this time a day hitting the gym, but since it’s busy I’d check up front with Penny. He likes to flirt with her to fill his empty time.” 

 

“Uh, okay,” Corey looked down at the blank envelope. “I should probably check in with David first.” 

 

“Naw,” Neal shook his head and pointed over to the other shoot. “He’s busy, and he’ll ping you if he needs anything. But the faster you get going, the sooner you can get back.” 

 

Rolling his eyes the blond sighed and nodded, turning around to hunt Darren down. 

 

As predicted the man was in the lobby, leaning against the semi-circular countertop and smooth talking an otherwise uninterested Penelope. Dressed in tight dark jeans and a deep maroon Henley that did wonderful things with his dark complexion Darren looked like a dream. Corey hadn’t interacted with him at all yet, hadn’t even seen him in person, so he approached the situation a little unsteadily. 

 

“Um, Sir?” The short blond spoke up. 

 

Turning around Darren leaned back against the reception desk and tilted his head. With short buzzed hair and a goatee the man was actually quite handsome. 

 

“Sir?” He chuckled. “Don’t hear that much outside of a scene.” 

 

Corey paused for a second and then remembered that the dark-skinned model frequently made videos that focused more on domination or similar topics. It was a little too much for the teen’s personal taste, but he had to admit that the videos were interesting. 

 

“You’re David’s new boy, aren’t you?” Darren smiled broadly, showing off bright white teeth. 

 

“Corey is David’s new _assistant_.” Penelope interrupted from behind. 

 

Rolling his dark amber eyes Darren shrugged her off and stepped up. The way he moved was graceful yet powerful at the same time, similar to how both David and Reidar held themselves but with Darren Corey got the sense of who the ‘Alpha Male’ was in the room. 

 

“Got something for me, Kid?” 

 

“Yeah,” Corey blushed a little, holding out the envelope. He wasn’t really sure how he felt about these guys calling him ‘Kid’, he liked it from David because it was affectionate but Corey didn’t really know the others all that well. “David is passing around a letter. Model eyes only.” 

 

Darren scanned the letter quickly and peeked up at Corey. “So you haven’t read it? Know what it’s about?”

 

The teen shook his head. “Neal said something about a barbecue, but David told me it was private so I’ve respected that. I figured if it was something that he wanted me to know he’d tell me.” 

 

Nodding with a grin Darren snagged a pen off of the desk and scribbled something down before sealing the letter back up and tucking it into his back pocket. 

 

“Looks like Reidar has already left his mark,” The dark skinned man smirked. “I’ll make sure Peter gets a look at this when he gets back.” 

 

Corey nodded a little but wasn’t really sure what to do so he stood there for a moment. 

 

“We haven’t officially met,” The man before him spoke up and held out a hand. “Darren Barlott.” 

 

Shaking the man’s larger hand the teen smiled. “Corey Olsen.” 

 

“Heard a bit about you,” Darren spoke casually. “David’s really taking a shining to you.” 

 

Blushing a little Corey shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.” 

 

Smirking the other just chuckled. “Well, don’t let me keep you, David’s probably already beginning to worry about his _assistant_.” 

 

The purr in Darren’s voice made it clear that he meant something else but was playing with him. Corey waved a little and turned to head back to the shoot. By now it was probably mostly over and he’d have to check in with David on what the plan was for the rest of the day. 

 

It turned out not much. Paperwork had to be approved and shuffled around, Corey ran out a few more invoices for David and briefly chatted with Vann again in the break room. She was still intimidating, but in an oddly good way. Together their day ended when David snapped his laptop shut and deemed it so. 

 

It left Corey with a sense of accomplishment, he’d successfully completed his first day of work without any sort of serious blunder. David was amiable as they drove home and the man even teased Corey a little bit about may letting the teen drive his car someday. _Maybe_. 

 

When they pulled into the garage David mentioned that he was going to change into something more comfortable and suggested that Corey do the same. 

 

In his own room the teen looked at his assorted new clothes mixed in with the old and wondered what he should wear. David seemed content to be home so they probably weren’t going to go out for a walk or to a restaurant. Mulling it around in his head Corey decided to just ask. 

 

“What should I wear?” He called out, both his and David’s doors were open so the older man should have heard him. 

 

“We’ll be outside and it actually got pretty hot so dress light.” David responded. 

 

“Dress light?” Corey muttered to himself wondering what that meant. 

 

Shuffling a few things around he eventually settled on a green undershirt and khaki shorts. His skin was still a little pale as he hadn’t really had much time to develop a tan. Corey was pulling up his shorts when David rapped on the doorframe and whistled lowly. 

 

“Looking good, Core.”

 

Corey blushed a little but bluffed it off with a roll of his eyes. Glancing back at David he found that the man had similar thoughts on clothing, a tight black undershirt stretched over muscles and black patterned board shorts made the set. 

 

“Please, compared to all you guys I’m nothing.” He groused. 

 

David scoffed. “Corey, you’re seventeen. I’ve been going to the gym since I was sixteen, and I have over ten years of that under my belt, I’d be shocked if I _wasn’t_ built better than you.”

 

With a wink and teasing tone the man had a point and Corey had to admit defeat. 

 

“Besides, if you chatted up Peter he’d be glad to help you bulk up some or develop more tone,” The dark haired man leaned against the door. “The poor guy has been jonesing for a workout partner for a while now. The rest of us lift so much he’s not really the best spotter for us.” 

 

Shrugging the man tilted his head. “Meet me in the back yard?” 

 

“Sure.” Corey nodded, pulling on his undershirt. 

 

In a way Corey was actually kind of surprised that he hadn’t seen David’s backyard yet, at least not more than the few glances he’d seen out a window. He knew it overlooked the ocean and that there was private beach access, but other than that nothing was known. 

 

What met him the second he stepped out the sliding glass door off the kitchen was worthy of a paradise resort that stood out in a magazine. Immediately he stepped onto large embedded flagstones that made a decently sized patio, after that the land was beautifully landscaped with natural and native plants, making it all mesh together seamlessly. Most of the yard was a soft looking lawn, taller grasses bordering it to add a little privacy. The ocean lapped in the distance and Corey could clearly look out over the horizon. A few tall cypress trees offered shade in a few spots. 

 

The bastard even had a luxurious pool tucked off to the side. 

 

“If you don’t close your mouth a gull might decide to nest in it.” David smirked from the side, preparing a fancy looking grill. 

 

“Okay, seriously, this is ridiculously nice,” Green eyes examined the crystal clear pool set among the flagstone, two large grottos pouring waterfalls down into it. “Like, that’s not even a pool anymore.” 

 

David amusedly hummed in response. “It’s saltwater.” 

 

“Saltwater.” Corey spoke flatly.

 

“There’s a hot-tub tucked between the grottos, too.” 

 

Shaking his head the teen just let out a heavy sigh and looked over to the smirking man. David waggled his eyebrows in a movement that shouldn’t have been adorably dorky but was. 

 

“What? I actually spend a lot of time out here in the summer, so I figured it should be nice,” Shrugging his massive shoulders the man said as if all of this didn’t cost thousands of dollars. “Go check it all out, I’ll be here.” 

 

Taking his suggestion for granted Corey wandered off and did indeed check things out. Since there were no fences he could see the two closest houses and noticed that their back yards were similarly fashioned, though it seemed like David was the only one with a pool. And while the short grass was well manicured there were a few little paths in it that were clearly well traveled. 

 

At the end of the bluff was a short safety railing that had a gate on it. Inside the boundary were two wooden chairs that looked over the sea. Trailing down to the secluded beach was a set of stairs that gently sloped down one wall, ice plant sprawling down the other. Down below the beach made a mild cove, shallow clear water sparkled up in the sun and Corey couldn’t help but admire it as he leaned on the railing. 

 

“Beautiful, is it not?”

 

Reidar’s warm rumble snapped Corey out of his focus and he jolted slightly. When the larger blond’s heavy hand rested on his shoulder the teen felt a little sheepish but grinned up at his friend. 

 

“David has very fine taste.” 

 

“I can’t believe that all this is his, I mean, this had to have cost a fortune!” Corey felt his brows rise in astonishment. 

 

Nodding with a hum Reidar smiled softly. “Well, he is quite wealthy.” 

 

Shrugging a little Corey turned to fully face the other. “So, how’d the shoot go?” 

 

“All had a good time, I believe.” Reidar grinned with impetuous intent. 

 

Corey admired the man’s white side-cut shirt, the large gaps allowing his muscles to peek out just enough. He also wore board shorts but his were an almost garish orange ensemble, though somehow the energetic man pulled them off. 

 

“Good,” Corey smiled. “Any chance of a preview?” 

 

The man laughed and shook his head. “David would be most displeased if he found out I was corrupting the youth.” 

 

Rolling his eyes, Corey chuffed. “Please, I may be a virgin but I am by no means innocent.” 

 

“Oh?” Reidar purred, shuffling just a tad closer. “When David mentioned you were inexperienced I didn’t realize he meant completely.” 

 

Blushing heavily Corey was saved by a sharp whistle. 

 

“Reid! Stopping ravaging the Kid on David’s fence and bring your saggy tush over here!” Darren’s voice carried playfully over. 

 

“If it were ‘saggy’ you would not desire it so much!” Reidar countered over his shoulder but did step away from Corey a tad. With a playful wink the larger blond mumbled down to the teen. “Darren wishes to complete the set, I believe. But he and I don’t play together too well.” 

 

“Oh?” Corey glanced over to Darren who had a beautiful woman underarm and both were happily chatting with David at the grill. 

 

Nodding Reidar herded Corey up and began their way back to the patio. “David to this day is the only man who can convince me to be the receptive partner.” 

 

Corey was a little stunned by that news and almost tripped on his own feet. “Woah...” 

 

“Appealing, isn’t it?” The large blond chuckled. 

 

“Corey, I want to introduce you to my lovely lady!” Darren spoke happily as soon as they got close enough. “Angela, this is Corey. Corey, Angela.” 

 

The woman held out a hand and smiled softly. Her long hair curled around her shoulders and draped lower over smooth tanned skin. Deep brown eyes sparkled with friendship. 

 

“It’s a pleasure, Corey.” She spoke warmly. 

 

Darren was wearing an aqua colored open long sleeve over an undershirt and white shorts, complementing Angela’s red plaid shirt and shorts. 

 

“Likewise.” He greeted. 

 

“Angela is actually a police officer from a few towns over,” Darren continued, happily supplying the woman’s boon. “Met a while back when she pulled me over for a busted taillight.” 

 

“Yeah, but don’t worry,” Angela said with a conspiring wink. “I ain’t gonna bust anybody, I’ve been filled in. So long as nobody tries to give the minor any beer we’re good.” 

 

Teasing she pointedly glared at Reidar and the man frowned in return. 

 

“One time!” Tossing his hands up in the air he lowered them to rest on Corey’s shoulders. 

 

Everyone laughed and returned to chatting when Reidar asked David what the plan was for the evening. 

 

“Well, as soon as Peter shows up with the meat I can start cooking,” He shrugged. “Neal said he’d be in charge of the beer.” 

 

Reidar groaned a little and shook his head but it was Darren who spoke. 

 

“Man, you let the irishman pick out the booze?” Regret filled his voice. “That carrot-top will drink anything!” 

 

“I resent that.” Neal spoke up from the open kitchen door, a six pack tucked under arm. 

 

Reidar very blatantly nodded to the brand of beer and snorted. “I’ve been served fruit juice with more alcohol in it than those.” 

 

“Yeah, yeah, Frost Giant, us mere mortals drink swill,” Neal rolled his eyes. “But I grabbed a mix so hopefully all will be happy.” 

 

“There is hope after all.” Angela muttered jokingly and nudged Corey’s hip with a wink. 

 

To the teen it was nice, warm. His family was sort of like this years ago, back when both he and Jr. were young and living at home. He hadn’t had that in a long time, but to Corey it was beginning to feel like he found it again. 

 

After Neal was sufficiently razzed both he and Reidar dragged Corey off to a shed tucked amongst the trees. Inside was a number of things, a volleyball net, lawn chairs, deflated beach balls, and the similar. 

 

“Don’t ever let David catch you out here alone,” Neal advised with a mock seriousness on his face. “Don’t know why but the guy has a weird fetish for screwing around in this thing. Damn near got my card punched last time I was here.” 

 

Corey gave the red-head a concerned look for his mind but then caught a smarmy grin spread on Reidar’s face. 

 

“Is there a single place here that you two haven’t fucked?” Neal flatly asked when he noticed too. 

 

Reidar mused for a moment then causally shrugged. “I believe the two chairs by the beach are safe due to splinters,” He nodded. “And the guest bedroom has been off limits out of respect.” 

 

Corey chuckled and backed out of the shed with a net bundled up in his arms. Apparently the guys had decided that a game of volleyball was needed. Reidar carried the metal poles over his shoulder and Neal palmed the ball as they returned. 

 

Neal left them as they began to set it up in preset holes in the grass, the older man clearly familiar with how it went. Reidar hummed happily as he worked, the tune Corey recognized a few minutes later as another top ten pop number. 

 

“Meat’s here!” Peter’s voice called out announcing his arrival, and the four other guys hollered out in return. 

 

When Corey looked over he saw a slender looking brunette waltzing over with bag ladened arms. He recognized Peter right off the bat, a face he was rather familiar with on his screen. The young guy had a bright smile on his face under dark shades. Unlike the others he was wearing a pair of grey cargo pants and a soft blue long-sleeve. 

 

The guy dropped his bags off next to David before walking right up to Angela and kissing her boldly on the mouth. Corey was a little stunned but noticed that the woman didn’t care and rather well accepted the kiss before pushing the brunette softly back into Darren. 

 

Peter seemed to melt against the guy and sighed loudly. “Damn, it’s good to be back,” He smiled softly. “I haven’t been that well ridden since my debut.” 

 

Darren chuckled and kissed the side of the much shorter man’s head, giving his girlfriend a wink. She returned it with a warm smile. 

 

“They have an agreement.” Reidar spoke lowly in Corey’s ear causing the teen to look at him. 

 

Nodding to the three the larger blond shrugged. “Darren took Peter underwing after their first meet, and when he met Angela he made it clear that him and Peter were a set deal.” 

 

Corey chuckled. “Oh, I’m sure it’s a hardship.” Looking at the two guys they alone looked great but putting Angela between them and that was even greater. And Corey wasn’t even into that. 

 

Reidar rumbled in agreement and finished tightening the net. 

 

David looked over, a gentle smile tinting his face, and just looked at Corey for a moment before waving him over. 

 

“Core, now that everybody is here I thought I’d get stuff ready on the grill,” The dark haired man spoke. “Go introduce yourself to Peter and we’ll get this party started.” 

 

Nodding the blond walked over to the trio and paused just outside their bubble, admiring how Peter fit well between the large mass that was Darren and Angela’s curves. 

 

“Hey there, Kid.” Darren smirked. 

 

“Hey.” Corey smiled back, tilting his head some. 

 

“Damn,” Peter muttered. “Looks like I might just be losing my title of cutest twink around these parts.” 

 

The teen blushed but didn’t say anything. 

 

The brunette laughed and pulled himself away from his two partners. “Hey, I’m just teasing,” Walking up to Corey he pulled the shorter guy up to his side and shoved up his shades to look him in the eye. “It’s actually kind of refreshing to not be the youngest piece of meat around these parts.” 

 

Chuckling Corey shrugged, holding out his hand. “Corey.” 

 

“Peter,” The other said shaking his hand. Glancing over his shoulder he grinned back at Darren. “Babe, I think it’s time to tell you, I’m leaving you for a younger man.” 

 

The dark skinned model laughed loudly but shook his head. “Okay, but I got to warn you, you’re going to have to wrestle this one away from Reidar.” Shrugging Darren seemed to not be at a loss. 

 

“And we already know you can’t outrun David.” Angela winked, adding into the game. 

 

Corey chuckled a little. “I don’t know, Peter here is awfully sweet on the eyes.” 

 

Two large hands wrapped over his hips and pulled him back into a solid chest. “Aye, the young Hanson is quite the gem, but I have a well groomed mane that you have shown much attraction to.” 

 

Peter playfully pouted and the others laughed. Corey, however, felt his ears burning with a heated blush. He did indeed greatly admire Reidar’s hair. He didn’t realize that the other had noticed.

 

“He’s got you beat there, Pete,” Darren chuckled, pulling the sullen brunette back to his side. “Reidar’s been gardening that forest since he was twelve. But don’t worry, you’ll catch up someday.”

 

The tall blond holding Corey close chuffed. “I was at the very youngest fifteen when I learned to shave, thank you.” 

 

“You mean Frost Giants aren’t born all hairy like that?” Peter taunted openly with a tilt to his head. 

 

The brunette then bolted out from under Darren’s arm and Corey was left behind as Reidar made chase. Once again the others looked on with warm smiles and shaking heads. 

 

Corey glanced over his shoulder at David and saw the man chatting away with Neal but then he caught his gaze and winked at him. 

 

It didn’t take Reidar long to catch the smaller brunette and soon the two were tussling on the grass. It was clear that the large blond was amusing the other, his general height advantage and his bulk would have made it hard for Peter to fight back other wise. 

 

Eventually David called dinner and they all sat at a few shaded wooden tables under the cypress trees. Peter, Darren, Angela sat at one table and just a foot or so away Corey, David, Reidar, and Neal sat at the other. There was another empty table that they had set food on. They ate and teased, retelling tales and overall just enjoying each other’s company. 

 

A sharp whistle from David interrupted them and the man stood. 

 

“So, I wanted to thank all of you for being able to make it tonight on such short notice,” As he spoke Reidar hugged Corey close to his side and grinned happily. “By now all of you have met Corey, and I am happy to introduce him again not only as my newest assistant and employee at the Studios, but also as the newest member of our little family.” 

 

Light blue eyes locked down on Corey and he noticed that all the others were looking at him as well. He sank a little into Reidar’s side but smiled sheepishly. 

 

“Corey, when we met those couple of months ago I didn’t really see myself having you around much in my life after that. But I’m glad I was wrong, we haven’t known each other all that long but I’m saying right now that I can’t imagine my life without you. I know you’re life has hit a few snags, and from now you will have not only me but everyone else sitting with you as an ally.” 

 

The guys, and Angela, cheered in agreement. 

 

David brought up a familiar small box and slid it across the table. Corey hadn’t even seen the man go grab it. 

 

“It’s a bit of a tradition at this point,” David spoke happily. “Kind of silly, actually— and yeah we probably should have waited a few weeks for your birthday— but the guys and I got you a little something to say ‘Welcome to the Family’.” 

 

Corey smiled softly and chewed at his bottom lip. Reidar nudged his side and nodded to the box. 

 

Pulling it closer he took a better look at it and had no idea what it could have possibly held. It wasn’t all that big of a box, longer than it was wide, maybe a foot or so in length. No labels or paper to hint where it was from. It had been taped back shut so he picked up his fork and used the dull end to split it open. 

 

“Oh, and Corey,” Peter perked up. “There’s another bit of the ‘Tradition’, if you can guess who’s it is in one go you get to make a wish.” 

 

Corey had no idea what the guy was talking about but his excited tone gave him both eager desire to know and just a tiny bit of dread. 

 

Paper was inside the box, wrapped around the item inside. Pulling it aside the contents greeted him and he immediately blushed, slamming the box shut. Looking skyward he chewed on his cheeks and fought back a laugh. The guys laughed and crowed, a happy laughter because they were laughing with him, not at him. 

 

“Like it?” Neal lewdly wriggled his brow. 

 

“What is it?” Angela leaned forward a little and looked at the closed box. 

 

Darren grinned, pulling the woman to his side and whispering in her ear. 

 

“Oh...” Her brown eyes widened a little then she giggled. “Well then.” 

 

“Not the most appropriate gift, but like I said, it was tradition.” David shrugged harmlessly. 

 

Corey looked at the other guys and shook his head. “So each of you guys has one of these?” 

 

“I got the whole set.” Peter winked, earning a cuff upside the head from Darren. 

 

“Yeah, though mine’s still in the box.” Neal smirked, leaning back with his hands crossed contently over his belly. 

 

“So...” Peter once again grinned. “Who is it?” 

 

Corey swallowed heavily and chewed on his lip. 

 

“It might help if you actually looked at it for more than a few nano-seconds,” Darren teasingly suggested. “Didn’t think it was _that_ scary, geeze.” 

 

David coughed a little, faux-seriously clearing his throat. “The Product is life sized and properly modeled after each actor—” 

 

“‘The Product’,” Neal teased, rolling his eyes. “This is a party, not a Press Release.” 

 

“He probably just doesn’t want to be so crude as to say something like ‘Dildo’ while not working,” Peter smirked. “Our David is a professional, you know.” 

 

Drumming anxiously on the table Peter looked like he was ready to burst. “So....?” 

 

Corey sighed and reopened the box, looking back at him was a smaller box with a clear plastic window showing him a well crafted silicone replica of one of his co-worker’s genitals. It was blue and white swirledinstead of flesh colored, which the box also showed was an option. 

 

“And no phone.” David winked. 

 

“Wait,” Neal sat upright. “He’s got pictures of our dicks in there?” 

 

“He has access to the full Steel Studios online site.” David casually shrugged. 

 

Peter snickered and nudged Darren’s side, the larger man rolling his eyes and playfully shoving him back. 

 

“So, these are modeled after each of you?” Corey checked one last time, looking around the table. 

 

“Not just modeled.” Reidar chuckled.

 

“Yeah,” Neal grimaced a little. “They’re actually based off of a casting we did. And I got to say, it was a bit of a struggle keeping it up, that shit felt weird.”

 

The others nodded in agreement, each with different level of a displeasured remembrance on their face. 

 

“Okay...” Corey nodded. “And I have to guess?” 

 

“Well, I guess you don’t _have_ to,” Darren shrugged, playfully put out. “But then you don’t get to make your wish.” 

 

“Which _will_ wait until you are eighteen.” David spoke up suddenly, looking very serious. 

 

Apparently it was one of _those_ kinds of wishes.

 

Nodding repeatedly Corey began to feel like a bobble head and stopped himself. Picking up the box and looking at it again the teen recalled what he could from what he knew. 

 

Right off the bat he knew it wasn’t David or Peter. “Uh, well, it’s not you,” He said nodding to the darker haired man. David chuckled, shaking his head and winking. 

 

“C’mon, how’d ya know?” Peter spoke up again.

 

Blushing heavily the teen fought it down and looked the other flat in the eye. “It’s the wrong shape, David’s doesn’t get wider towards the base,” Picking up a bit of bolster Corey shrugged. “And it’s not yours either, too thick.” 

 

The guys (and Angela) laughed loudly at that but the slender guy just shrugged it off. 

 

“Fair enough, I’d look weird with a club banging about my knees.” 

 

Looking back at the box Corey studied a little more. “Well, it looks like the model is also uncut, which take you out of the running Neal.” 

 

The red-head sniffed and rubbed his nose, uncaring it seemed but his soft grin gave him away.

 

That also left him with two options, Reidar or Darren. 

 

Beyond that Corey couldn’t pull a full picture of Darren up in his mind. He hadn’t ever spent that much time watching his videos. Though in all fairness, Reidar didn’t have all that many that he was _that_ familiar with either. Looking up between the two men they both wore taunting grins but only the blond winked at him. 

 

Biting his lip the shorter blond nodded. “Reidar.” 

 

The man beside him erupted into a loud cheer and hugged him tighter to his side. Darren chuckled and nodded. 

 

Peter whistled lowly. “Damn, now there’s a starter.” Shaking his head the brunette stood and gathered up his plate. “So, who’s up for a few rounds of volley ball?” 

 

The guys agreed and began to gather up their own things, tossing the paper plates and all moving about to get the food back inside. 

 

“Sorry if that embarrassed you.” David spoke as he sidled up to the teen. 

 

“No, it was cool,” Corey shook his head. “Kind of like being hazed or something. Y’know, in a good way.” He shrugged. “And besides, now I guess I can take Reidar to bed with me every night.” 

 

David laughed and shoved the teen’s shoulder fondly. “Good. But I meant what I said, you’re family now.”

 

Smiling the blond looked around at the guys that had taken him in and grinned. Looking back up to the dark haired man he tipped up on his toes and pecked him on the cheek. “Thank you.” 

 

* * *

 

David felt where Corey had kissed him tingling minutes after the blond had walked away to go chat with Peter and Darren. He cupped it and grinned goofily. 

 

“I saw that.” Reidar mumbled into his ear on the other side, leaning over his shoulder to place a mirroring kiss on David’ stubbled face. 

 

Turning into him David lifted his eyes just a tad to meet familiar sky blues. “Yeah?” 

 

Reidar hummed and took David’s hips in hand. He’d never tell anyone but the brunette loved that Reidar was bigger than him, David found a lot of comfort in pulling somebody shorter into his arms and holding them tight but he also adored how Reidar could easily and happily be the big spoon. He didn’t find many guys that understood, because he was tall and muscular they expected things from him, or wanted a persona. David could dish it out but it got tiring having it expected all the time. 

 

“Yes,” The tall blond smiled softly, eyes crinkling a tad. “It was quite sweet. I’m rather fond of him.” 

 

Chuckling David swayed them back and forth a bit. “So, it was just happenstance that Corey’s present was yours?”

 

Mischievousness glinted in Reidar’s eyes. “I may have played a bigger hand in the selection of model than instructed.” 

 

“Possessive.” David teased, poking the other right in the ribs where he knew the other was ticklish. 

 

The blond laughed and danced away. “Perhaps,” He shrugged. “I rather like the idea.” 

 

“And what idea is that?” David smirked, leaning back against the house. 

 

The other guys were out on the lawn, playing with the volley ball and trying to teach Corey how to play with a properly raised net. The teen was used to playing on the beach without one. Peter was constantly batting at him and getting the blond to run after him, interrupting every one else’s progress. David could sense that those two would get along like a house on fire. 

 

Reidar hummed his deep purr and closed in on him, just shy of pinning him to the wall. “That he will be ours. Corey is besotted with you, David, and in such is already yours. And, well, you are mine, which in turn will make him mine. Ours.” 

 

“Reid, I know what you’re saying, but we can’t push him on this,” David shook his head. “He’s still a teenager, still young. What you want, what _we_ want, is serious. I don’t want to take anything away from him.” 

 

Backing up a little Reidar nodded with a soft sigh. “I know. But that also brings the topic of you and I to the surface.” 

 

“Yeah,” David nodded, looking back over to the others. Angela kept casting them looks but seemed disinterested in interfering. “I was actually hoping to talk with you about that.” 

 

“Oh?” The blond tilted his head, posturing open. 

 

Nodding David rubbed his hand over his face and dragged it through his hair. “Reid, I...I really like what we have going. I, I _love_ you,” The man’s face scrunched up with worry and he looked down. “And I never expected something like this to happen, but I see myself falling just as hard for Corey too.” 

 

Reidar’s face lit up and he grinned. David knew why, they’d been together for a while now, a bit of a whirlwind romance, but he’d never said the ‘l-word’ before, at least not like he just had. Not seriously. Reidar said it all the time, but also seemed to know how to play it cool. He felt a hand tilt his head back up and met Reidar’s earnest blue eyes. 

 

“That makes me quite happy to hear that,” He smiled as he rested their foreheads together. “I feel the same. Young Corey’s introduction to all of this does not change that, at least not where it matters.” 

 

Smiling David tilted his head up to kiss Reidar softly. “Yeah.”

 

“Corey is a sweet kid,” Reidar mumbled softly. “He brings out a lot of light in you. And I see a lot of potential in him as well. I speak of him already being yours, but your your permission I would gladly make him mine as well. Not just by association, but by choice.” 

 

“I think it is something we will have to all sit down and talk with him about, but yeah,” David nodded, holding onto the taller man’s sides. “I think, maybe that would be pretty good.” 

 

“It would be very good.” Reidar assured. 

 

David smiled broadly and reached up, wrapping a hand around Reidar’s thick neck and pulled him in for a heated kiss. Teeth clicked a little at first, the gentle first few touches turning into a heated fight for dominance, one that David only put on for appearances but then gladly relinquished to the other. It was a skill that he never had to teach the blond, the man came from Norway an already phenomenal kisser. 

 

Loud cheering behind them broke out, Darren even whistling loudly in approval. 

 

They broke apart and grinned at each other before waving off at the others. 

 

“So, we’ve come to an agreement?” Reidar spoke lowly, just for them. 

 

“Yeah,” David nodded confidently. “We’ll do this together.” 

 

“Together.” The blond smiled, turning to walk away but holding his hand out in invitation. 

 

David happily took it as they walked back to the others. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taa-Daa! 
> 
> Well, there was that. Hope you all enjoyed.  
> Sorry this chapter was almost double sized, I couldn't figure a good place to split is comfortably. But since I've been absent for a while maybe this shall make up for it? I hope to get back on my once a week posting schedule soon @w@ 
> 
> Next chapter will be a little angsty, but don't worry, the boys will pull through.
> 
> Also, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Hope you all had a good one and enjoy the fresh 2016!


	13. Green Eyed Monsters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright all, here is the newest chapter for y'all! 
> 
> Looks like I have finally earned the Explicit rating for this story, maybe? I don't know where that line really lies, so yeah. Heads up for those who don't want to read about some of that, it lurks towards the end of the chapter. 
> 
> No real warnings though I will mention that there is a brief mention of a non-con scene that David was involved in. Though as his own boss and what not it wasn't actually non-con, just acting, so yeah...just throwing out a warning on that as well. 
> 
> For those worried about a drawn out angst fest don't fret, this little blip will probably only last this chapter and the next and it's smooth sailing from there on out. 
> 
> Now with all that out of the way, enjoy!

Corey was having a blast, he was a little hesitant in the beginning about meeting and having all of the actors in one place but he found that they were actually a decent group of guys to be around. They all had a good dynamic amongst them. 

 

Darren was the oldest, at thirty, and was most definitely the ‘papa bear’ of them all. He was flirty in a blatantly obvious way but one could tell that he only had eyes for Angela or Peter. He kept the younger man in control when his busy energy got him going too fast and made sure that Neal kept an anchor on his brash behavior. Fun and friendly, but with a stern undertone in a fatherly sense. 

 

And if Darren was the ‘dad’ then David was definitely the ‘mom’. He buzzed about and made sure all were well fed and made sure that everything was properly organized. It made Corey snicker a little at the idea of the tall brunette in an old fifties style apron pulling cookies out of the oven. David provided order and a warming aura of affection. He knuckled on Peter’s head and playfully shoved Neal around. The large man gave a sense of belonging, acceptance. 

 

Reidar provided insight at surprisingly opportune times as well as humor and kindness. He was the tallest but was possibly tied in bulk with Darren. Reidar seemed almost like a big brother to Corey (In a totally weird way that he wasn’t going to look too far into because brother figures weren’t _supposed_ sexy), but in a lot of ways the man made Corey think about Jr. The way he was constantly ready at the bat to be in your corner when you needed him. The way the large blond guided people subtly away from stupid ideas —Neal!— or offering a mild hand to make sure David didn’t back up into the barbecue. Reidar was fun but responsible. 

 

Getting used to Neal was easier now outside of the work environment, Corey getting a look at what the man showed of himself when at ease. He was still more combative than the rest but he seemed calmer, not as loud. Neal wasn’t trying to draw attention or impress so he was almost placid in a way. He’d pulled Corey aside a few time to playfully harass him or tore up the lawn with Peter. He was only a few years older than the brunette and the two seemed to have a sense of brotherhood, mischievous looks passing between them in a way that could only mean trouble. Corey liked off work Neal. 

 

And then there was Peter. Corey adored Peter. He was clearly used to being the ‘baby’ of the group since he could sidle up to anybody and get an affectionate arm thrown over his shoulder. He had a lot of energy that buzzed about him, an energy that was infectious and got the others riled up at times. Peter was the first to suggest a lot of things and the others either had to reel him back in or went with it to amuse him. The brunette also seemed to have made it his goal to pester Corey in a way that good friends did. He’d come in close and poke at him until Corey would chase him about the yard in revenge. Peter flirted and cuddled and was on a whole a total sweetheart, something that greatly complemented his oh so charming boy-next-door looks. He wasn’t big and bulky like the other guys but he had his own appeal. That and he didn’t make Corey feel so _young_ in comparison. 

 

He’d been calmly reflecting on them all when an uproar caught his attention and he looked over to see what caused the commotion. 

 

Corey couldn’t deny that the sight of David and Reidar up close and intimate didn’t appeal to his primal beasts but something about it still managed to cause a tightness in his chest. He didn’t think he’d be jealous, wasn’t even fully sure if that was what to call the feeling, but the teen couldn’t find anything else to call it. Maybe just hurt. 

 

_It hurt_. 

 

And he didn’t know why.

 

It wasn’t like he didn’t know that the two were together, like he hadn’t seen them interact. Apparently they had been together for a long time. If anything _he_ was the interloper. Corey wasn’t entitled to anything, or anyone. But still it stung. Maybe it was the acknowledgment that David was interested in him, or maybe Reidar’s casual flirting. He didn’t know.

 

“It’s about time,” Peter commented as he stood next to Corey. “Those two have been dancing around each other for _months_  now.” 

 

Corey looked over at him and Peter noticed his stunned look out of the corner of his eye. 

 

“You didn’t know?” 

 

“No, I knew.” Corey numbly said, shaking it off a little and looking back at the two men. 

 

They were both grinning warmly and were walking over to the rest, hand in hand. 

 

“God, Reid looks like the guy popped the question or something.” Neal spoke, arms crossed as he bumped Corey just a tad, side-eying him a bit. 

 

“Yeah.” The teen smiled a little, knowing his tone didn’t sound all that happy. 

 

“Don’t be a dick, Percy,” Peter smirked, looping an arm around Corey’s waist and pulling him in close. “Reidar and David are really good for each other.” 

 

Leaning into the touch Corey rested his temple on the taller guy’s shoulder. Peter wasn’t all that much taller than Neal but he tucked in nicely to the brunette’s side.

 

Darren and Angela greeted David and Reidar, chatting happily about all sorts of things now that they were ‘official’. They looked like two sets of neighbors meeting over their front lawns. David had looked over briefly and sent Corey a kilowatt smile that he couldn’t help but try and return, feeling Peter tuck him in a little closer. 

 

“I’m going to go chat up the lovebirds,” Neal mumbled lowly, nodding over to the boardwalk behind them. “Why don’t you take the kid for a walk?” 

 

Peter nodded and tapped Corey on the hip, guiding them to the end of the property. 

 

“C’mon, David will be crazy jealous if I show you the beach before he gets to.” 

 

“I don’t want to make him jealous.” Corey said lowly as he walked, hands tucking into his pockets. 

 

“Not like that,” The older guy chuckled. “Naw, David wouldn’t hesitate to turn me into paste if he thought I was trying to wriggle into your pants.” Shrugging the brunette unlatched the small gate and allowed Corey to start down first. 

 

“It’s just pretty easy to spot David’s tricks if you know what to look for,” Peter continued to explain. “He likes showing you his nice things. It’s a ‘strong provider’ thing.” 

 

They walked down the steps until they reached a landing where it turned to continue down in a different direction. Peter leaned on the wooden banister and looked out over the ocean. 

 

“So,” He drew out. “Talk.” 

 

Corey eyed him for a moment then leaned next to him so their shoulder could be slightly touching. 

 

“This where you tell me you’re secretly a part time psychologist between shoots?” He teased. 

 

The brunette scoffed and shook his head. “No way, I’m just a good ol’ potato-fed boy from Idaho. I’m pre-med, like Neal. Just hopped on this gig so I could get through medical school without drowning in debt.” 

 

Corey tilted his head and looked at the other like he lost a few bolts along the way. 

 

“Neal is pre-med?” 

 

“Yep,” Peter nodded, popping his word. Shrugging a little he smirked. “The guy would never let on that he’s got a brain under that fiery dome of his, but yeah, that’s how we met actually. Shared an anatomy class.” He scrunched up his nose teasingly. “Even if he is SEM.” 

 

Once again Corey just shot the other a confused look.

 

“Sports and Exercise Medication,” The brunette elaborated. “But enough about me, what’s eating you?” 

 

Looking out to sea Corey mildly wondered the same thing. “I don’t know.” 

 

Peter hummed. “Well, ball park it. What’s the big picture?” 

 

“I don’t really know how to say this without sounding like a huge dick.” The teen groused. 

 

“Then go for it,” Peter shrugged. “Some of us are rather fond of huge dicks.” 

 

Corey glared over at the teasing look the other had on his face the sighed. “Seeing David and Reidar together for some reason makes me upset.” 

 

This time Peter let out a heavy sigh and nodded a little. “Okay, yeah, I can get that. I went through something similar when Darren brought Angela home and said that he’d like us to all get along. It should be hot right?” 

 

“What?” The blond leaned back a little, thrown off. 

 

“Well, they’re two totally hot dudes, great bods and plenty of personality,” Shrugging the other continued. “It should be sexy, seeing those two and thinking ‘wow, I could be the meat in that sandwich’, but something about it kind of just hurts at first. Like you aren’t good enough to be right there at that exact moment, something that you don’t share with them.” 

 

“Wow...” Corey watched the waves crash gently on the sand.

 

“Yep, not just a pretty face,” Peter nudged him with his hip. “But did that about sum it up?”

 

“I don’t know, maybe?” Corey sighed, glancing down at his hands. 

 

“Corey, we’re both really young,” Peter turned around and rested back on the boardwalk. “Guys your age are freaking out about graduation and pimples, just a few later you’re me and wondering when the next kegger is and who’s skirt you can get up. David, Reidar, and Neal? Well, they’re hitting that age where a long term and committed relationship is practically a corner stone of their existence. Darren’s so old the guy’s even tossing words around like marriage and forever.” He gave the other a small wink and looked up the cliffside. “Trying to engage somebody in a relationship that is in a different place in life than you are, that shit is really hard. More so with two people. And trust me, that isn’t easy either.”

 

Corey turned nodded a little, wetting his lips. “I don’t get it. I mean, I just found out David even likes me like that. I shouldn’t be getting upset about seeing him with other people, much less his boyfriend.” 

 

Peter chuckled and looked back at him. “You kind of missed the whole lesson on jealousy in high school, didn’t you? It’s not really rational. You’ve seen something you want and someone else has it.” 

 

“Yeah, but I don’t _like_ feeling entitled to him. I don’t own David, hell I know what he does for a living, I’ve _seen_ it. Why is seeing it on a video hot put seeing it in person hurts?” 

 

“Because he cares,” Peter shrugged. “David loves Reidar, has for a long time. Those two, well, we all kind of knew that they were golden, then you came along. David wrecked himself quite a few times on Darren’s couch, freaking out about having feelings for two people and what that meant. David doesn’t care about the people he fucks on camera, sure he’s polite on set but he is professional, distant. Anybody can watch him with you for two seconds and see that the guy is enamored. But the guy also has a lot of hang ups.” 

 

Stepping away from the ledge Peter turned around and put his hands in his pockets. “You want my advise? Tomorrow, when you can, talk to them. Figure out what their game is and where you fall into it. If David likes you that’s great, and if he likes you enough to want to date both you and Reid that’s even greater. But don’t put yourself through that if Reidar isn’t up for it or you couldn’t find yourself ready to be dating both of them. Because, in reality, that’s what you will be doing. It won’t be like a sweaty, sexy, three-way all the time, you will be in two different relationships that will both feature their own ups and downs.” Stepping up and patting Corey on the shoulder Peter smiled. “I like you, Corey, I’d hate to see you put yourself through all that if you weren’t ready for it.” 

 

Nodding a little Corey sighed. “Yeah, thanks, Pete.” 

 

The brunette smiled broadly and patted him on the tush. “It’s a lot to mull over, take the rest of the evening to roll it around. Tomorrow will be just as long as today.” 

 

Corey smiled and turned around about to reply when Neal’s head poked over the railing up at the top. 

 

“Hey, dorks, you ready to come back up yet?” The red-head shouted. “Reid suggested watching a flick from the hot tub but wants to know what Corey wants to watch!” 

 

Peter jokingly flipped the man off and offered Corey a ‘what can you do’ face. The blond laughed and shrugged. 

 

“Yeah, be right up!” Peter called. 

 

“So...Hot tub?” Corey queried as the trekked back up. 

 

“Oh yeah, Dave’s got this hole set up going. There’s a projector in one of the grottos, so all you have to do is go to the control panel, put in a DVD, and boom, movie in a hot tub.” Peter shrugged it off like it was all normal to have projectors on your out door pools. 

 

Up top the guys had exchanged the volleyball net for a white screen, which Corey just realized was directly across from the pool. Darren and Angela were already sitting in the heated water, looking happier than clams, David was flipping through a CD holder but neither Reidar nor Neal were to be seen. 

 

David looked up and smiled when he saw them, waving the over. Peter patted Corey on the shoulder and headed towards the other two, giving the teen a slight push along the way. 

 

“Hey.” He said once he got close enough. 

 

“Hey,” David smiled fondly. “Peter showing you the sand?” 

 

“Just talking,” Corey shrugged. “So, what’s up?” 

 

“Well, Reidar wanted to watch something out here before it got too late and couldn’t decided between an action flick or horror,” The dark haired man shrugged, waving the disk case around. “So he left it up to you.” 

 

Taking the offered item in hand Corey grinned a little. “Oh, I don’t know...Both are pretty good genres. Let’s see what you got.” 

 

Several familiar titles caught Corey’s attention as he flipped through the selection, most were pretty good but a few were choices that he was surprised even caught David’s notice. 

 

“Hmm, well, are you thinking of explosions or zombies? I mean, they’re not really exclusive, but I’m thinking zombies.” Corey finally settled on. 

 

“Zombies, most definitely zombies. Reidar’s scared shitless of ‘em.” David smirked with a glint. 

 

“You’re evil,” Corey grinned up at him. “I like it.” 

 

Pulling out his final choice the teen handed it over and checked back on the others. Peter had rolled up his pant legs and was practically sitting on Darren’s shoulders, feet just barely touching the water. Corey figured his own shorts would work just fine, the other guys had already been wearing trunks so they must have expected this to turn in to a pool party. 

 

David hummed along as he set up the projector and then clapped Corey on the shoulder, guiding him over to the pool. On screen an advertisement for an upcoming film was rolling on by that most everybody was ignoring but Peter seemed entranced by. 

 

“I think I saw that one,” He spoke up after a moment. “She did it.” 

 

Darren and Angela groaned and shook their heads. “Damn it, Pete, we hadn’t gotten to see that one yet!” 

 

Corey chuckled and looked over to David who was skimming out of his body tight shirt. Appraising the man fondly he looked away, spotting Reidar and Neal coming out of the kitchen with a tray of drinks. 

 

The teen hadn’t even noticed David slipping into the water until the man tapped him on the foot and looked up at him. 

 

“C’mon, Core, the water’s just right.” Patting the spot next to his right, David’s blue eyes beseeched him. 

 

Shrugging off his own shirt Corey once again felt a little self conscious around the others who were better built than him. He caught Peter’s approving gaze and blushed a little as he sank down in to the blissfully heated tub. The teen hadn’t spent a lot of time in hot tubs, but he decided he liked this one the best. From David’s right he had a great view of the screen and felt the man’s arm bracketing him in as it slid along the rim of the pool. Leaning back into it Corey smiled softly and cast a glance back at Peter who was smiling back at him. 

 

When Reidar and Neal got to the pool Corey noticed that Reidar looked a little subdued but Neal was grinning away as usual. 

 

“The giant and I thought we’d end this party with a bang,” Neal explained, hoisting up the tray of drinks in example. “Mimosas!” 

 

Reidar stripped off his shirt, tossing it casually aside and looked down at David, tilting his head a tad. Corey noticed the dark haired man motion his own head in some silent signal and the next thing he knew the teen ended up sandwiched between two hunky beefcakes. Neal seemed to busy himself with handing out drinks but to Corey’s count there was one for everyone. 

 

He was down to the last few when he offered it over to David who took two and handed one over to Reidar. Then Neal turned the plate around so one was obviously available for Corey. 

 

“Aaand a virgin for the virgin!” Neal grinned evilly when the teen took his drink. 

 

Corey glared at him a little, fighting down the blush that he knew was heating up his face. David chuckled on his right and an arm slid behind his back from the left. Corey looked over to the larger blond but he simply smiled at him and made some sort of face that the teen took as a silent chuckle. 

 

By the time that the title screen came around Neal was down to his own shorts and lounged in between Angela and David. Peter at that point was laying back, his legs still thrown over Darren’s shoulder while the darker skinned man gently massaged his calfs.

 

“You all are quite mean,” Reidar mumbled when he noticed the theme of the night’s entertainment, giving Corey a betrayed glare. “And to think, I thought you were the nice one.” 

 

Corey playfully shrugged and leaned into the older man a little. “Not a wise choice. But it was David who pointed it out.” 

 

Storm blue eyes cast over Corey’s head to meet stunned ice blue. Once again the two seemed to have a silence talk via body language. 

 

“Well then, I guess it is David who will have to make it up to me, yes?” The man grinned and the darker haired man’s face was priceless. Corey had never seen David in a position where he wasn’t the one in control, but that face alone said that David was well versed in what the other meant. Poor guy looked like a deer in headlights. 

 

“Okay, you two horn-dogs,” Neal grumbled. “Try to preserve the sanctity of the hot tub while we’re all still in it.” 

 

Reidar hummed but looked away, returning his view to the beginning of the movie. “Fine.” 

 

How a man that stood at six foot four and weighed over two hundred pounds could sound so petulant Corey may never know. 

 

What followed the next hour and a half was a bloody massacre of pure zombie filled carnage. Plus there were explosions, so that was a plus. Darren wasn’t too interested as he and Angela spoke lowly the entire time, though Neal was hooked. David laughed at the weirdest of things —He apparently had a rather twisted sense of humor— and Reidar put on a strong face but Corey could feel it every time the man tensed or shuddered. Though the teen couldn’t find it in his heart to feel bad about it as each time it happened he was pulled a little bit closer to the man. 

 

After the film Darren hauled a sleeping Peter over his shoulder and gathered their things, announcing that he should put the guy to bed and then call it a night himself. Angela gave everyone a kiss on the cheek to say good bye and drowsily followed after. Neal still seemed brimming with energy but talked about making it an early night since he had to hit the gym the next morning with some friends. 

 

That just left David, Corey, and Reidar. Yawning and stretching the teen got out of the tub first and found his shirt. Toweling off a little so he didn’t drip through the house he looked over at David and noticed that the two were sitting close again and speaking softly. He couldn’t make out the words but the soft rumbles met him in a strangely soothing way. Corey reflected on what Peter had told him and though a bit on it before announcing that he was going to head in to take a shower before bed. The others waved him off and so he went. 

 

Corey had never had his own bathroom before, always having to share it with either his brother or guests but David had told him when he moved in that this one would be his very own. So he took advantage of it.A long hot shower was nice, removing the chlorine smell was just a bonus at that point. By the time he stepped out of the well fogged bathroom he was a rosy color, flushed from the steam. He’d only wrapped a towel around his waist since he was alone and walked to his dresser to find a pair of boxers to sleep in. 

 

Then he heard it. 

 

Even though his door was closed —and presumably so was David’s— Corey could hear the two men who were clearly having sex. Loud, heated, sex. Once again he couldn’t really make out words, just the moans and groans that echoed in his head. Flesh hit flesh and that made a nice resounding ‘thwak!’ every so often. From what he could tell the tempo was pretty fast, a take no mercy kind of fuck. Corey didn’t even know who was doing the fucking but from what he recalled of Reidar’s promise of retribution he had a pretty good idea who was getting fucked. 

 

The very thought alone was enough to cause the teen to instantly tent his towel. 

 

Magnum Steel didn’t do bottom scenes. Out of his dozens of videos the man was only the receptive partner once and that had been some sort of dungeon scene that Corey couldn’t sit through. Between the thought of it clearly being meant to be not fully consensual, the idea of Magnum getting fucked didn’t do a thing for him. 

 

But David on the other hand? _That_ was hot. More so because Corey knew it was Reidar who was doing it. 

 

Letting his towel slide off his narrow hips the teen crawled up onto his bed and decided to take his own ‘problem’ in hand, ensuring that David and Reidar weren’t the only ones who lost a load that night. Others might have felt bad about exploiting their friends’ sexy time for a little bit of self release but Corey hadn’t had time for himself in days and bet that if they knew the others wouldn’t mind. 

 

He was getting close when he heard a moan that was louder than the rest, a strong reverberation of a word that sounded a lot like ‘Fuck!’. Knowing that one of the guys had clearly just finished the teen sped up a bit and was just himself erupting when another loud roar echoed through the house. That word had no sense to him, but it didn’t matter much to Corey as he laid back and let the relaxing waves of the afterglow crash over him. 

 

Breathing a little heavily Corey reached of the bed and grabbed at his towel, using it to clean up the mess he made of his taunt stomach before tossing it aside. Pulling on his boxers the teen shuffled around until he was under the covers and blissfully let sleep claim him, the soft sounds of the sea lapping at the beach and men’s low rumbles ease him to dreamland. 

 

Waking up the next morning Corey felt relaxed and rejuvenated, which in a way was odd because it wasn’t like he went to bed _that_ weary. Stretching out and scuffing at his hair the teen rose and tossed on a pair of sleep pants and an undershirt. Spotting the discarded towel on the ground Corey flushed a little bit at the reminder of last night’s activities. Taking a moment to toss the evidence in the laundry basket he then headed down stairs, finding it empty. 

 

Looking around he walked to the kitchen and checked outside. Nobody was out there either. It was almost seven, not fully light out but getting there, so somebody else should have been up. 

 

Corey was pouring himself some coffee when strong arms wrapped around him from behind and tucked him against a strongly built and furry chest. There was also an unmistakeable bulge pressed up against the small of his back. 

 

“ _God morgan_.” The man’s voice was warm and gravelly, still rough from sleep. 

 

The teen chuckled a little and sipped at his coffee. “Morning, Reidar. At least I assume that’s what you meant. Not all of us speak Frost Giant.” 

 

The man rocked them side to side and the teen felt his brow meet the back of his head. “David is out for his run.” He informed, voice still low. 

 

“Ahh,” Corey nodded but otherwise reveled in the morning cuddle. “And you are just getting up?” 

 

Reidar hummed and the larger blond eventually stepped away to prepare his own coffee. Corey’s brows met his hair when he saw that the man was strutting around in boxer-briefs that just barely offered him any modesty. 

 

“Have you put any thought to my recommendation?” Reidar spoke, looking at him over the brim of his cup. 

 

“Uh...” Corey paused, finding it hard to think with the sight before of him. Swallowing heavily the teen tried to recall anything of use. 

 

“About testing out of your final year,” The blond man helped. “Summer classes begin soon but you still have time to register.” 

 

As a local resident he was guaranteed acceptance to the small junior college they had. From there he had access to a few other affiliated colleges that would accept him based on that. 

 

“Um, honestly, I haven’t.” Corey answered after catching up. 

 

“I will help you if need be,” The man advised. “But best make up your mind on that soon.” 

 

Nodding a little the teen watched as the man strolled back upstairs with his coffee, hopefully to get dressed. 

 

Corey puttered around the kitchen for a few minutes after he finished his coffee, unsure what to do for breakfast. So he washed a few dishes and put everything back to sorts and then just kind of waited. It was nearing eight when the door handle wriggled, David coming through in shorts and a tank top. 

 

The man was sweaty from a good long run but smiled as soon as he saw Corey in the kitchen. 

 

“Morning, Core.” He grinned and walked to the fridge for a shake that was pre-made. 

 

“Hey David.” The teen grinned back, admiring the back of the man’s shoulders. 

 

“Ready to go by nine?” The dark haired man checked. 

 

“Sure.” Corey nodded leaning back against the counter. 

 

Nodding David finished off his drink and went to the stairs. “Gonna hit the showers, wake up Reid, and then I’ll be ready.” 

 

“No problem.” Corey typically was a morning shower kind of person, but all he’d done since last night was sleep so he didn’t need one just yet. 

 

Reidar came back down a few minutes later in his orange and white ensemble and shuffled about fixing toast. Corey watched him for a few minutes and then decided that a toasted bagel sounded really good. He was having a playful game of tug-o-war over the blueberry jelly when David came back down clean and showered. The man had also shaved by the looks of it and seemed sparkly fresh and bright eyed. 

 

David strolled over to Reidar and pecked him on the lips, ruffling Corey’s hair as he went passed. He was fixing his own breakfast and Corey was feeling a familiar sense of something bubbling in his gut. Reidar was chatting away about what his plans for his day were —a photoshoot, and then the gym— and David grumbled in return about having a day full of meetings, number crunching and paper pushing. 

 

Corey sighed and looked down at his empty plate. In a way he liked how at ease the two men were around each other, how familiar they were. The teen liked that they felt comfortable about talking about basic day-today stuff around him. But at the same time he didn’t really feel included. 

 

“So, I think we need to talk.” He finally said, causing silence to stretch out over the room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so was that good for folks? 
> 
> Sleepy Reidar sometimes talks in Norwegian, and I will do my best to get as accurate as possible but as I do not speak the language I will have to resort to the somewhat unreliable internet. So if I mess up let me know and I will fix it.


	14. Having Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long absence, all. I've recently started a new job, which is really good but hacks quite a bit into my writing time @w@ So, until I get the hang of my new schedule I don't know how quickly I'll be able to get chapters out for y'all. I'll do my best and I promise that neither of my stories are being abandoned.

Never again would Corey underestimate those words. It was almost like the world stood still the second they escaped from his lips, both men turning to look at him in stunned curiosity. 

 

Eyes still locked on the table before him the teen felt their heavy gazes and wanted to pull in on himself. Here he was, not even eighteen yet, and he had the full attention of two men who would have probably never given a second glance if their situation was different. 

 

“Alright,” Reidar was the first to recover. With a serious face the large blond pulled himself proper in a chair and looked at Corey with rare honesty on his face. “What do you wish to speak about?” 

 

Under his cerulean gaze Corey felt a little bit of tension ease out of his shoulders, casting a glance over to David he saw the man had a concerned look on his face. 

 

“So, you two are together, right?” The teen asked. “Officially.” 

 

Smiling softly Reidar nodded. “Yes.” 

 

Corey bit at his lip and drew out patterns on the table. “Okay, well, uh, congrats on that by the way.” 

 

The large blond nodded in thanks and motioned for David to come take a seat. The man did so but still generally looked at unease. 

 

Swallowing thickly the younger blond nodded again. “Okay, so Peter and I were talking yesterday about a few things and he said that I should talk to you two about some stuff.” 

 

“Okay.” David finally spoke up. 

 

Looking up at the dark haired man Corey thought for a second to gather his words. “David, when I met you a few months back I was kind of shocked. I mean, I knew who you were, or rather what you did for a job, but you were really nice. Continued to be really nice. And you’ve done a lot for me, for that I am grateful. Though it kind of makes all of this harder to get out.” 

 

David reached over and placed a large hand over his, eyes searching for something. 

 

“I’ve come to like you David —a lot— more than like a friend. I think you’re great and well, it’s fair to say that I find you attractive. And I know you like me like that too.” 

 

This time David looked a little shock and shot a look at Reidar but the man just shrugged. 

 

“God, I’m going to Hell for this,” David hung his head and withdrew his hand. “Yeah, Core, I find you attractive.” 

 

“Why would you condemn yourself for that, David?” Reidar spoke up, touching the other’s shoulder. “There is nothing wrong with feeling affection nor attraction towards others.” 

 

“Reid,” The dark haired man looked up with fire in his eyes. “Corey is a _teenager_ , that’s a lot younger than us.” 

 

“I am capable of basic arithmetic,” Reidar showed off an unimpressed face. “Peter and Darren are about the same difference in age yet they manage well.” 

 

“That’s different.” David looked back at the table. 

 

“How is that different?” The older blond seemed to be ruffled. “They met working, and I think we both know that in our profession intimacy typically preludes honest affections.” 

 

“Look, I’m not trying to start any fights,” Corey interrupted. “I just want to know where all of us stand on this issue so we can hopefully move on in whichever direction we take.” 

 

Reidar looked over at Corey for a moment then back at David, after a moment he settled back onto the teen. 

 

“Corey, I believe what you are asking about is a very adult decision. I am not saying so as to demean you, but to ensure that you are aware of what you are asking entails,” The man folded his large hands on the table and shrugged a little. “If you are simply asking about a matter of attraction, then yes, the answer is that David is attracted to you. But if you are trying to ask for more then perhaps we should discuss about what that would mean for you before you make any decisions.” 

 

“Hold on,” David thew up a hand. “Reid, you and I talked about this some last night. I think we came to a conclusion if I remember correctly.” 

 

“Yes, that we did.” The man nodded.

 

“I think that perhaps we spoke a little in the heat of the moment,” He stated, rubbing at his clean shaven chin. “That maybe you and I should talk about what we would be offering in the first place. What our boundaries and limits are, requirements or concerns.” 

 

Reidar chuckled and shook his head. “You are approaching this as if it is a business contract,” Looking back to Corey the man winked. “When David gets uncomfortable he tries to bargain things through. Don’t ever let him get away with that.” 

 

Then Reidar reached over the table and clasped both of David’s hands in his, looking earnestly into his eyes. “Let us discuss that over lunch today?” 

 

David stared back for a moment before nodded, giving a stressed smile. The blond smiled and winked before giving Corey his attention again. 

 

“The fact that you wished to come to us and speak your mind shows a great amount of maturity on your part, Corey. I, for one, am pleased that you felt comfortable enough to tell us, but I feel like you have something else on your mind. I too had a conversation last night, with Neal. He told me some things, that you seemed to be troubled with our coupling. Would you like to maybe elaborate on that?” 

 

The two looked at each other for a few moments before David coughed a little into his fist and Corey looked away. 

 

“Saying this makes me feel like such a jerk...” Corey moaned, feeling every bit the asshole that his words sounded. “Last night, when I saw you two together I guess I got jealous and it kind of hurt. I don’t know why, but Peter told me that it wasn’t that weird.” 

 

The large blond barked a laugh and nudged David almost out of his seat. “Is that all? A spat of jealousy?” Reidar let out a stuttered sigh and smiled broadly. “Here I thought it might be something more serious. I know of your fondness towards David, though I have not received any confirmation of my own.” 

 

Corey rolled those words around in his head for a moment before looking down at the table. “Uh, well, I like you too Reidar. You’re handsome, and nice, and you were really great handling that whole situation with Jim—” 

 

“Which we still haven’t spoken about.” David interjected. 

 

Corey stopped and looked at David. The man had his arms crossed though he didn’t look particularly upset. Sighing a little the teen nodded and continued. 

 

“Reid, I can’t say that I like you as much as I like David right now,” He smiled a little brittlely hoping that the other man wouldn’t be mad. “I just met you and while I think you’re really sexy and I _do_ like you. It’s not really quite there yet.” 

 

“Fair enough.” The blond nodded seemingly unbothered by it. 

 

David sighed and looked at his watch. “Guys, I think we’ll have to call this talk short and discuss it later. I’ve got a few meetings this morning that I can’t miss.” 

 

“Alright,” Reidar stood and nodded. “I will see you for lunch.” 

 

Then he walked around the table and pulled Corey to his feet. The man hugged him tightly and pressed a small kiss to his temple. “I will see you later.” 

 

Once he left Corey felt like raw nerve all over and by looking at David it was easy to tell the man was shaken. 

 

“I’m sorry.” He spoke lowly as they walked out to the car. 

 

“No,” David shook his head, pulling the teen to his side. “I’m sorry, Corey. I thought I had a better grip on my head but I guess when faced with it I still have a few hang ups.” 

 

“That’s okay,” The teen smiled some as he slipped into the car. “It’s what makes you human.” 

 

* * *

 

Work was miserable. David had sat through two of his three meetings —one of which was about the proper treatment of photographers— and he already felt drained by the day. Corey’s little intervention earlier had really hit him and he didn’t really like how much it got to him. 

 

He couldn’t fault Corey, the teenager just wanted to know where they were. That was respectable. More mature. David could have blown this all out of his system by now if the blond was just looking for a fun romp, he wouldn’t have fallen so hard for somebody like that and none of this would be a problem. 

Reidar had been so understanding about it all, had been so decent to a point where David felt like total scum. He knew deep down that if Reidar had been the one to bring home somebody else and wanted to involve them in their relationship he would have been against it. Though on the other hand David knew that the other wasn’t completely unhurt by it, they had played the whole game on if they were to ever become official or not for so long and then Corey just shows up and throws it all for a loop. 

 

And if David’s sore ass was any proof Reidar still held a little bit of anger over the ordeal. The guy only got really riled up like that if he was getting deep into a scene or if he was letting things fester. 

 

David made a mental note to discuss it over lunch. 

 

His next meeting was with Vann over finances and he had Corey gathering the essential papers for him in between meetings. David had refreshed himself in the mirror and fiddled with his tie before heading back to his office. 

 

Corey was there and looked a little harried. 

 

“Okay, that should be everything.” The teen rushed out handing over a folder. 

 

Taking it and reviewing its contents David reviewed it and found that it was all indeed there. Smiling a little he snapped it shut and snagged the teen by the shoulders. Holding him still he looked at the blond and tilted his head, Corey had seemed shaken up in the car but not this bad. 

 

“Are you alright?” He asked. 

 

“Yeah,” Corey ran a hand over his hair but didn’t meet his eye. “I’m just a little anxious.” 

 

“About?” The man chuckled. 

 

“Well, I was checking my emails and I saw that my grandfather has been talking to my brother and now I’m meeting him for lunch and will probably get my ass chewed out.” Corey rush out all in one breath. 

 

David smirked and shook his head. “That’s a tad dramatic, isn’t it?” 

 

“Jr. thought I was with my parents this whole time...” The teen admitted, head hung. 

 

David’s heart sank a little and cleared his throat. “Ah, well, that isn’t going to cause any problems is it?” 

 

“No, it shouldn’t,” Corey shook his head. “I think my grandfather just gave him hell about not watching over me properly but didn’t tell him exactly where I was staying. I guess that’s my job.” 

 

Nodding David checked his watch. “I’ve got to go, but when I get back we can talk more about this?” 

 

“Sure.” The blond agreed. 

 

Meetings with Vann were so boring. At least the professional ones were, in front of a board she was serious and all business while he played the part of their loyal number cruncher. It didn’t take the board long to be impressed with their growth and rate of expansion. By the end of the summer they planned to be finished filming what was expected to be a blockbuster hit on Vann’s side and really put the studios in the public’s eye. 

 

Once David returned from that he paged Corey and got a response that the teen was still trying to hunt down a few of the things he asked for. The man paused and thought back to the pages he saw just that morning on Penelope’s desk, they had been ready then but he hadn’t picked them up. Sliding out his phone he checked his messages and saw that Neal had indeed gotten involved and was now giving the teenager a wild goose chase. Though attached to the message were copies of the papers with the signatures and numbers he needed, so at least he could do his job. 

 

David spent an hour reviewing various contracts and pulled a few aside for further consideration. Reidar send him a text asking him where he wanted to go for lunch and David replied saying that something light would be best. 

 

Corey eventually came back with his papers in hand and looking completely cross. 

 

“I’m going to kill that asshole,” He grumbled in greeting and slapped the papers down on David’ desk. “I can’t believe that he took those just so that I had to run all over the studios!” 

 

David slid them closer to him and didn’t mention that he didn’t even need them anymore. He smiled a little at the teen ranting as he paced back and forth, no longer seeming worried about his immediate future. 

 

Eventually lunch rolled around and David waved Corey off and he called up Reidar to find out where the other had decided to eat. 

 

“In what world is greek considered ‘light’?” David greeted as he sat across from the grinning blond. 

 

“In mine.” Reidar grinned as he sipped on his water. 

 

“I feel really weird about having this conversation in an old mom and pop restaurant, Reid.” He groused as he too sat. 

 

The blond just shrugged. “I don’t see why, we are very much alone.” 

 

Motioning with his hand the man pointed out that the place was pretty empty at the time. David acquiesced with a nod and sipped at his own water. 

 

“So, you are troubled,” Reidar smoothly opened, placidly calm and open. “I suggest we skip the rabble and get right to the point, we are both busy men.” 

 

In a way it was something that David absolutely adored about Reidar, and envied at the same time. The man was excitable, yes, and loud with a jovial energy that won him hearts across the nation, yet the second the blond heard a tone shift he was like a shark with blood in the water and suddenly on point. Reidar was rarely granted the intelligence he held, sometimes even David himself forgot that he was so well educated, but it was time like this that he was reminded that there was much more to his lover than what people saw. 

 

Letting out a heavy sigh the dark haired man rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, trying to figure out where to start. 

 

“You’re mad.” 

 

Reidar seemed to contemplate that for a moment before humming a small confirmation. “Perhaps a little, though I do not think that is quite the right word for it,” The man looked out the window and rested his chin down on his hand. “I can admit that I am slightly hurt and possibly still slightly sore over the ordeal.” 

 

David snorted. “You want to talk about sore?” He teased. “You’re not the one who almost asked for a donut to sit on during a board meeting.” 

 

As he hoped the blond chuckled and shot him a teasing glance out of the corner of his eye. 

 

“In all seriousness, David. Yes, I can say that when young Corey found his way so quickly into your affections I was hurt by it. I was jealous. He had found easily what I had to work for, but I do not begrudge him that. I find that to rest upon your shoulders.” 

 

David nodded a little and looked down at the table. Their waitress found her way over and they both ordered, waiting for her to leave before resuming their conversation. 

 

“Reid, I don’t know what to say...I feel horrible that what I’ve done has hurt you, and you have to understand that it was never my intention.” He assured. 

 

Reidar looked back at him and smiled softly. “I know. And that is why I can forgive you, with time. However that does leave us with the tricky situation that currently involves our young Corey.” 

 

“Yeah...” David sighed again, wistfully thinking of the blond and how great it was to hear Reidar to claim him as theirs. 

 

“From what I understand Corey is not very well experienced with relationships, and as you have repeatedly stated he is significantly younger than us,” Reidar stated. “That gives us two very good topics to possibly begin with.”

 

Nodding David fiddled with his fork some then set it aside. “Yeah, I guess it does.” 

 

The large blond drank sipped at his glass. “You bring attention to Corey’s age often. Is his age something that you find appealing? Is it part of the allure?” 

 

David damn near choked on his own drink and hastily set it down. “What?!” Bunkering down, embarrassed by his outburst the man hissed out between his teeth. “Reidar, how could you even suggest that? That’s disgusting!” 

 

“Then why focus so heavily on it?” The blond shrugged a little. 

 

“Because it is true,” He spat out. “Corey is younger than us and that can very well cause problems if we pursue anything.” 

 

“Then wait a few more weeks, then Corey will be a perfectly legal adult. No problems.” Reidar countered. 

 

“He’s still in high school.” David grit out. “That’s weird and creepy on so many levels.” 

 

The blond sat back and grinned. “Yet you have prompted for a similar script to be written up.” 

 

David felt his cheeks heat up. “That’s different, that’s a scene, a twist on a kink. We’ve all done it.” 

 

Reidar chuckled. “Calm yourself, love, I meant no harm. Besides, I have spoken to Corey a bit and I believe he is going to test out of his final year. He might be attending classes with me this Summer.” 

 

“What?” He paused at that. Corey hadn’t said anything about that to him. Had he?

 

“Aye,” His companion chuckled with a wink. “Our boy is soon to be a bonafide college student. Does that solve anything?” 

 

“But-but what about those things during his senior year, like Prom, or anything like that?” David stuttered a little, still stunned by Reidar’s information. 

 

“I did not do such a thing during my schooling,” The large man shrugged. “And you took a date to yours that you could not even fully enjoy. Not quite the milestone that the media plays it up to be, now is it?” 

 

David paused, about to answer when their waitress stopped by to top off their waters and deliver their entrees. Looking down at his salad the actor almost felt small bits of his reservations crumbling away. 

 

“In a very short time Corey will be an eighteen year old college student, does that change anything?” Reidar broke him from his reflections. 

 

“Yes.” He swallowed past a lump in his throat. 

 

“Good.” The blond nodded and started on his lamb. 

 

They ate for a few minutes in silence. David let some thoughts filter through his head as he repositioned some of his feelings. 

 

“I am attracted to Corey.” He eventually stated. “Emotionally, but not sexually. I just...I just can’t find myself there just yet. I find him appealing, yes, and if we had met a few years from now I have no doubt that I would have at least tried to get him in for a shoot. But as it is now, all I want to do is swaddle him up and make sure nobody betrays him again.” 

 

Nodding along Reidar set down his fork and dabbed at his lips. “That includes yourself, you understand that?” 

 

Clenching his own fists the dark haired man nodded. “Yes. I do.” 

 

“Very good,” Reidar put a hand over his and smiled softly. “I believe that is a good place to be.” 

 

Snorting David cast his neon gaze to the other. “You sure you didn’t pick up a psyche degree sometime along the way?” 

 

Chuckling the other just shook his head. “Afraid not. I did grow up with three sisters, however, I got to be a very good listener.” 

 

“All right,” David sighed, picking at his food. “So, what now?” 

 

“I think we should discuss what you wish to see coming from this,” The younger answered. “What would you like to develop? You care greatly for Corey, but is it something that will evolve into a romantic love or will it stay platonic? Do you wish it to become a relationship?” 

 

“And what about what you want?” David spoke up, looking earnestly at Reidar. 

 

“What I want can come next, right now we are focused on you.” He answered. 

 

Nodding David sorted his thoughts. “I think maybe I already do? Love is a strong word to fling around, too strong perhaps for what I currently feel. But it isn’t that far away from it.” 

 

“Let me ask you this: Where is Corey right now?” Reidar prompted. 

 

“He’s having lunch with his brother.” He immediately answered. 

 

“There, right there,” Reidar pointed at him. “Not even a moment to think, you knew. Much like you know my schedule like it were your own hand. That is what you do to show your love, David. Those feelings you have of wanting to keep Corey safe and sheltered, that’s love.” 

 

Smiling softly the dark haired man hummed a little. “Yeah, I guess it is.” 

 

“You are being stubborn for the sake of being the adult in this situation, David,” Reidar’s eyes twinkled. “I have known you long enough to see that. So I’ll ask you again, do wish to enter a relationship with Corey?” 

 

“Yes, yes I do.” David spoke softly, peeking up at Reidar. 

 

“And do you wish to stay in a relationship with me?” The blond asked.

 

“Call me a royal ass, but yeah, I do.” 

 

Reidar chuckled. “Well, I am rather fond of your ass but I feel like calling it royalty is a bit far.” 

 

Rolling his eyes David smirked into his drink. 

 

“I think that is something we can manage,” Reidar nodded mildly. “In all honesty, it’s not really all that odd considering what we’ve been doing.” 

 

“I guess not,” David admitted. “So where does that leave you?” 

 

Reidar held up a hand and shook his head. “One more thing and then we can get to me. Limits, where are yours and what are your restrictions?

 

“And you harp on me for sounding official,” He snarked. Crossing his arms he thought for a moment. “Firstly, if we do this I don’t want any of the flack to be sent Corey’s way. If you are having issues or become upset I want you to come to me. Secondly, I want to proceed on my own timetable. I think us talking and having a discussion with Corey later will help us, but until he is more settled and eighteen nothing will happen between us. And lastly, as selfish as it sounds, no one else. If it is going to be us three, that’s it.” 

 

Reidar nodded at each of his notes and David felt a little pressure lift off his shoulders. 

 

“Does any of that sound acceptable to you?” 

 

“Very.” The blond grinned easily.

 

“Now,” David leaned forward. “Your turn.” 

 

The man easily slid away his empty plate and pulled up what David called called his ‘Serious Man Face’. Hands clasped and hair pulled back the only thing that was missing from the business persona was a three piece suit. 

 

“I believe you and I are in similar positions when it comes to Corey. I find him very attractive, he is strong despite the hardnesses he has faced. He is young but faces his tribulations like one older than his years. Also, Corey is rather easy to look at,” With a salacious wink Reidar sat back and grinned. “I hold very few of the reservations that you do. Should he wish it I would gladly take Corey to my bed, to stay or for just a night. Though I understand that shall not happen for at least a little while longer.” 

 

David nodded firmly and tried to ignore the thought of the two blonds together. Shifting in his seat a little he noticed the other’s knowing smirk and he heated a bit. 

 

“David, I can accept the idea that you would like to maintain a relationship with myself and enter into one with Corey. In fact I believe that he could offer you things that I cannot, however I believe that it is only fair that I should be allowed to show my own interest.” 

 

“You’re saying that you would also like to date Corey.” David stated for clearance. 

 

“Should he allow.” The blond nodded. 

 

“No hurt feelings and we simply date one another?” Once again he put out. 

 

“Indeed,” Reidar smiled. “You and I are established and familiar enough with one another that I feel confident that we could add another to our dynamic without much hassle.” 

 

Letting out another heavy breath David nodded. Checking his watch he noticed that his lunch was almost up. “Yeah, I think I can agree to that, but only if Corey does as well. Though, I am adamant on his age and education, he comes first.” 

 

“How courteous of you,” The blond winked. “I believe I have a solution. I propose that I approach him first. I am sure in my feelings and confident that his are returned. We could date, slowly work ourselves up to the point where you could come in when you are comfortable. Does that sound agreeable?” 

 

David mulled that over as a busboy came by to clean their table. Once again he was found with the image of his best friend and boyfriend tucked up close to the other guy he hoped could become his boyfriend, the two most important fellas in his life close and intimate. He liked it, he liked it a lot. Domestic situations quickly flashed through his head as well, as well as more risky encounters. Corey and Reidar would look _so_ good together. 

 

“Yeah, that sounds agreeable.” 

 

“Grand.” Reidar smiled broadly, standing as he tossed a number of bills on the table to cover their cost. 

 

David stood as well and the two walked side by side out of the restaurant. Reidar’s bike was parked and casually leaning to the side slightly, a powerful machine made for a powerful man. David himself was parked just a few spots down. 

 

The tall blond twirled his keys in hand and hooked David by a belt loop with the other. Pulled in close David looked slightly up into familiar blue eyes, smiling a bit. 

 

“When you return home from the studios I shall fix dinner,” Reidar rumbled lowly, their faces just inches apart. “Bring young Corrigan, we can talk tonight.” 

 

“Sure.” David grinned. 

 

Reidar leaned in and pecked him gently on the lips before pulling him in tighter for a deeper exploration. David chuckled and leaned into the kiss as well, swatting the blond on the ass as he backed away. 

 

“Ride careful, I plan on taking my revenge on your ass later.” 

 

“Gladly,” Reidar grinned with a brow wriggle. “But first I have a set of twins to see to.” 

 

David stood back and watched his boyfriend straddle the rumbling machine between his legs, making brief eye contact through the visor of his helmet before sending him off. Heading to his own vehicle David made his way back to the studios. 

 

Corey was back in his office by the time he got there and the blond looked ruffled. His eyes were reddened and his usually sun-kissed complexion was ashy. 

 

“Corey?” He gently entered the room. 

 

“Hey,” The teen gave him a watery smile. “How was your lunch with Reidar?” 

 

“Enlightening,” David stated, all his focus on the teenager before him. “Yours?” 

 

“Let’s just say that if that was what getting reamed out by an older guy feels like, I really don’t want to do it again.” Corey shuffled a few papers around on David’s desk and the older man walked over to stop him. 

 

“Corey, what happened?” 

 

“Jr. was just really mad,” The teen tried to wave him off. “I told him everything about what happened with Jim and you and he just kind of exploded,” He bitterly chuckled. “Kind of surprised we didn’t get kicked out of the place we were in, honestly.” 

 

Frowning a little David wondered what Corey wasn’t saying but decided to let it pass. He would come to him in time. 

 

“I’m sorry it didn’t go well.” He offered. 

 

Shrugging Corey just sighed. “It was kind of expected, really. Jr’s not too great with letting his emotions out until he pops.” 

 

Nodding a little David reached out and straightened up the navy bow tie the teen had chosen to wear. 

 

“Well, would it cheer you up at all to hear that we have a dinner date with Reidar when we call it a day?” 

 

“Maybe,” The blond sniffed a bit. “He’s not going to poison us with fish soaked in lye or anything, right?” 

 

Chuckling a little David brushed imaginary lint off of Corey’s shoulder, pretty much using any excuse he could to keep touching him. “I’m afraid to report that Reidar’s culinary skills are rather limited when it comes to more exotic Norwegian fare.” 

 

The teen snorted but stayed closed. “Can’t say I feel too bad about that.” 

 

“Not really, no.” David confirmed, softly smiling as he looked down at Corey some. The teen was quite shorter than him, enough that he’d have to bend down a noticeable bit to kiss him. He wasn’t even really thinking when he gently tilted the blond’s chin up on his hand and did just that. 

 

There were no fireworks or harps playing in his head, none of that flowery prose that authors loved to use so much, just the softest notion of another pair of lips gently caressing his own. It wasn’t long, but it wasn’t a brief contact, it was just right. Sweet but intimate, personal. It wasn’t how he kissed his fellow actors or models, it was more. David glided his hand over Corey’s jawline and just cradled the blond’s head with his palm, maintaining their soft gaze. 

 

“Oh shit.” Corey muttered out under his breath, the gentlest of smiles blooming across his lips.

 

He might have just jumped the gun there, but that small smile made it more than worth it to David. 

 

“Yeah.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a cliffhanger there, sorry about that. 
> 
> I'll try to get chapter 15 out asap, I promise!
> 
> But first kiss, so yay for that!


	15. Building Houses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here's our newest chapter for 'Steel Studios'! 
> 
> A few things on this chapter that may be of concern I guess. So, we get a look into the lunch meeting had with his brother and (surprise!) his mother. This meeting doesn't go all that well and his mother says some rather not nice things, if this bothers you at all feel free to skip the first section of this chapter and you won't miss all that much plot wise. 
> 
> Also, I will openly admit I am no expert on Norway or their cuisine, so if I made a terrible mistake somewhere with all that feel free to let me know ^w^
> 
> And as a last note this chapter is currently ~~un~~ edited but ~~I can hopefully get to that tomorrow?~~ let me know if you see anything.

Lunch with Jr. had been a disaster. 

 

At first Corey was actually excited to see his brother again, it really hadn’t been all that long since he’d moved out of his brother’s house but so much had happened since then it felt like forever. Though, once he got to the small burger joint that the older Olsen brother had chosen, the teen was shocked to find that it wasn’t just Jr. there waiting for him but also their mother. 

 

He hadn’t seen her in almost a year, and in a way he rather wished to have had kept it that way. His mother was a lovely woman in her own right, had been a good enough mother for years, but he’d lost a lot of respect for her once he entered high school and came out.

 

Jr. clearly had wanted a joyous reunion but that dream was quickly dashed between the woman’s not so subtly biting words and Corey’s cold front. 

 

Corey had thought he looked rather dashing that morning given that he had rushed to get ready. He was wearing a long-sleeve that was a solid sea blue color, khaki slacks, and a navy tie. It looked good in the mirror but the second his mother cast him a speculative glance and asked him what kind of ridiculous get up he was wearing his surety was cut. 

 

And that had set the mood for the entire encounter. 

 

Reina was familiar with the finer things in life, and though she was a school teacher their father —her husband— had such a successful career that she was able to live quite comfortably. And while the same could be said for David, the man carried himself so casually that he didn’t come off as ‘snobbish’. Corey’s mother was the opposite, looking down her nose at the little burger shack they sat at and looking like she expected to catch something from the seats. 

 

Jr. slid an overloaded boat of a double stacked burger and fries over to him, smiling sheepishly. Corey shrugged a little and nodded his thanks. 

 

Reina glanced at her two sons and began in on how disappointed she was in both of them, Alden for doing so poorly to protect his ‘Younger, innocent, brother’ and Corey got the familiar tirade of ‘Giving up the farce or his homosexuality’ and ‘Returning to the life of a _normal_ person’. 

 

Jr. had bowed under her scorn but Corey stood up for himself and explained that it was exactly because of that attitude that caused him to look for other housing instead of coming ‘home’. His mother squabbled on about how much she missed him and how much he was hurting her with his defiance, that and how his father was getting stressed at work because Charles had been reading him the riot act over a silly misunderstanding. 

 

Stress, apparently, wasn’t good for the man’s heart. 

 

Once she said her peace the woman sat there and expected the apologies to swell over her, and while Alden had mumbled out a mild word of sorrow, Corey said nothing and just stared blankly at her. A few minutes later Reina stood and informed them that she had an appointment to rush off to and that she hoped she would see both of her boys again soon. 

 

She even blew them a kiss. 

 

Corey was a little stunned at the woman’s audacity and was halfway through pulling out his phone and texting Reidar to come pick him up before he realized how much more awkward that would have made it all. _Then_ Jr. tried to apologize, he had honestly thought that their mother was capable of being a sincere person. She’d been so sweet to Leena, buying them things that they’d need for their first baby and what not. Poor guy thought that she had actually changed.

 

The woman could be absolutely lovely, provided that you played by her rules. Which was something that he'd gotten over years ago. 

 

Eventually Corey told him that it was okay and to let it go, it wasn’t worth either of their time fretting over it. Jr. did ask him where he was staying but Corey decided that he wouldn’t divulge that information when it could so easily get back to his parents. The younger Olsen brother could tell that the other was upset by that but it seemed that Jr. somewhat understood in the end. 

 

When they parted Jr. muttered out a few words about Leena’s due date and hoped that Corey would be around. He promised him that he would and that maybe they could meet up again sometime soon, catch up a little. Jr. left with a smile but Corey felt hollowed out and cold. 

 

Corey had walked back to the studios, fighting off the melancholic thoughts that chased him. David hadn’t been back when he got there so he went about reorganizing the man’s office. He must have been a sight because when the taller male did come in he immediately began to fret and worry over him. 

 

And then he kissed him. 

 

Right on the mouth. 

 

David _kissed_ him! 

 

Corey felt a smile growing on his face as he gazed up at the dark haired heart-throb, the man’s large hand gently cradling his head. 

 

“I am so sorry,” David snapped back a little, withdrawing his hand and taking a few steps back. “I don’t know what came over me.” 

 

Corey took a few seconds to catch up before he smiled wider and shrugged, looking down at his feet only to peek back up through his eyelashes. 

 

“It’s okay, it was nice.” 

 

The man groaned but smiled ruefully. “Kid, you are way too good at that look.” 

 

The teen chuckled, totally unashamed of the fact. 

 

David cleared his throat and turned to look over some of the books on his bookshelf. “I, ah, I apologize but we probably shouldn’t do that again. At least not for a little while.” 

 

Corey was a little bit on cloud nine so he didn’t even care all that much about what the other was saying. He was just happy it happened. It also helped him put lunch behind him, he felt a little bit bad about not giving David the full story but what the man didn’t know couldn’t hurt him or cause him to go strangle his brother. 

 

Shrugging the teen picked up a folder from the desk, playing along with David’s wishes. “It was only a kiss, no worries. You’ve got a meeting in ten minutes with Corrine, she wants to go over some new tech with you.” 

 

And, well, if Corey got a small bit of perverse joy out of the man’s groan and head thunking against the bookshelf no one else was around to call him out on it. 

 

* * *

 

[ I kissed him. — D.A. ] 

 

David was nervously pacing in the board room, waiting on Corrine to show up. She was running late, as usual. 

 

_[ Who? — R.F. ]_

 

David snorted and typed out a response. 

 

[ Corey!!! I kissed him! — D.A. ]

 

The man continued his path as he nervously chewed on what would make a lovely hangnail in the morning. 

 

_[ I do not understand. — R.F. ]_

_[ This is a problem? — R.F. ]_

 

Groaning louder than he probably should have the dark haired man favored the idea of throwing his phone out the window but then he would get nowhere. 

 

[ Corey. I. KISSED. Corey. — D.A. ]

[ On the mouth. — D.A. ]

 

Corrine was bustling in through the door with all sorts of things under her arms, looking geared up to make one hell of presentation. 

 

_[ I am aware of the action, David. — R.F. ]_

_[ So? — R.F. ]_

 

David felt cut short by the blond’s curtness. How could Reidar not care?

 

[ So?! What do mean by ‘So?’ — D.A. ]

 

He could hear his lighting technician in the background chatting to herself as she set up. She was singing a little song under her breath about how the ankle bolt connected to the leg bolt. Honestly he had no idea what went on in the woman’s head ninety percent of the time but she was good at what she did so it didn’t bother him much. 

 

_[ Well, I am safely assuming that he didn’t tell you off like a Troll... — R.F. ]_

_[ I am happy for you, truly, but I am on a shoot, Love. — R.F. ]_

 

David had completely forgotten about Reidar’s shoot. But he was the boss, so he figured it was his penny anyways. 

 

[ We’ll talk later. — D.A. ]

 

_[ Very well. I shall see you both for dinner. — R.F. ]_

 

Once again the large man groaned and thunked his head on the nearest available wall.

 

“Boss?” 

 

* * *

 

The rest of their work day Corey kept an eye on the man he worked for, David seemed mixed up on something but every time he’d catch his eye the man would give him a warm smile and continue on with whatever they were doing. 

 

Butterflies still fluttered around in Corey’s stomach from the earlier kiss. It felt childish, the teen had kissed people before but something about how it had happened left him feeling warmed. When ever Jim kissed him it was to establish possession or it was heated. David had kissed him softly, like he was cherished. It was different and Corey had liked it. 

 

David was sorting through some files and sighed heavily. The drawer shut a little loudly but the man’s shoulders sagged some and he pinched his brow. 

 

“What’s on the schedule for tomorrow?” David asked with exasperation in his voice. 

 

Corey pulled up his spread sheets and looked at the colored blocks. “Looks like you have several interviews with some models tomorrow, Sir.” 

 

Impetuously the blond grinned a little into his phone because he knew how much David got a kick out of people calling him ‘Sir’. 

 

“Alright,” David hummed a little. “Feel free to take the day then, I won’t be needing you.” 

 

“You don’t want me to take notes for you during the interviews?” Corey spoke with a tilt to his head. 

 

David coughed into his fist and shook his head. “Afraid not, can’t have you in on these just yet. I have to, uh, inspect the goods, if you catch my drift.” 

 

The teen laughed and shook his head. “Oh my gosh, are you making those trashy ‘interview shorts’ that they use to introduce new models?” Corey watched as David resolutely looked looked at several books on his shelf. “You _are_!” Laughing the blond shook his head. “Fine, but I want details when you get home.” 

 

Home. He had just called David’s place ‘home’. And it looked like it didn’t go unnoticed. 

 

David cleared his throat again and picked up his suit jacket. “I think it’s about time to call it a day.” 

 

Corey hummed an affirmative but kept his small little grin on his face. As he passed David the man swatted him on his ass muttering out ‘Cheeky’. The teen laughed again and danced away, heading to the lobby to clock out. 

 

It was a quarter to five when they passed the gates to the homes and David had filled the entire ride chatting about his plans to go back to Italy some time next year to visit his grandparents and see his ancestral home. Corey smiled to himself about how animated the man got about how beautiful his Nonna’s gardens were and how she made the best food he’d ever eaten. 

 

David reminded him that they were going over to Reidar’s in a few minutes and then went upstairs to change. Corey himself took off his tie and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. When the dark haired man returned he was in a soft blue cable-knit sweater but he had left of his charcoal slacks. He looked all sorts of warm and cozy. 

 

“Ready?” He had called as he ducked into the kitchen. 

 

“Yeah.” Corey responded, looking into the aquarium. He still hadn’t met David’s ‘guy’. “Say, when’s the aquarium dude stopping by?” 

 

“Should be in my schedule somewhere, listen under ‘Maintenance’. I like to be around when my guy comes over to clean,” The man came into the room with a bottle in hand. “I trust him and everything, I just like chatting with him.”

 

Chuckling Corey walked to the door. “This mysterious guy got a name?” 

 

“Hamel.” David responded, walking by his side. “Dennis Hamel. He works for an Aquarium shop in town and helps with all the installations and shit.” 

 

“Cool,” The teen smiled. “Be kind of neat to see sometime.” 

 

“Sure,” The man shrugged. “I might make a trip to town sometime next week. Been wanting to talk to him about maybe adding a new anemone or possibly a coral. Want something with a new flash of color.” 

 

“Well, I’ll check your availability and see when we can pencil that in, Sir.” Teasingly the blond jaunted ahead a little to avoid the playful swipe he other made in retaliation. 

 

“Now you’re just doing that on purpose.” David mumbled. 

 

Corey walked up to Reidar’s door and knocked but David reached around him and just opened the door, calling out to the large blond inside. Reidar replied with some sort of greeting and Corey was ushered in. Just like before Reidar’s place seemed a little blank but the boisterous blond appeared from the kitchen and happily greeted them, taking Corey’s mind off of it. 

 

Reidar took the bottle and pecked David politely on the cheek before taking Corey’s hand and kissing the back of it. The teen would deny it in the future, but he might have blushed over that a tad. 

 

Okay, a lot. 

 

The tall blond man was dressed in a worn grey hoodie that was embossed with the local college’s name and watermarked mascot, the poor thing looked like a size too small as it did nothing to hide Reidar’s large chest but at the same time it looked insanely soft. He was also toddling about in baggy sweatpants and bare feet. Hair up in a messy bun, he just oozed comfort. 

 

“I am happy that both of you could make it,” He rumbled lowly. “Dinner is still an hour out, I think. But we can amuse ourselves while it cooks.” 

 

“What are you making, Reid?” David grinned, sniffing subtly at the delicious aroma on the air. 

 

“Well, I thought I’d treat you both to something traditional, so I am making _fårikål_ ,” Reidar’s hand were clasped in front of him as he calmly spoke but Corey could tell that the man was excited. “I had to make a few adjustments as lamb was not as readily available as I wished, but you’ll find that mutton works just as well.” 

 

David chuckled but was grinning anyways. “You and your lamb.” 

 

“It is a perfectly acceptable meat.” The taller blond defended. 

 

“Uh, not to interrupt, but what is ‘Far a kal’?” The youngest in the room piped up, looking between the other two. 

 

“ _Fårikål,_ ” Reidar corrected politely. “It is a cabbage and sheep dish. I also made some bread to go with it as well as potatoes.”

 

The darker of the two man laughed and nudged past the other with a playful hip-check. “ _You_ are show-boating.” 

 

“It is a special occasion!” The other insisted but continued to look at Corey. “I hope you enjoy it.”

 

The teen smiled a little, suddenly a tad shy under the attentive gaze. “Well, I’m not a huge fan of cabbage, but it smells great.” 

 

“Thank you, Corrigan,” Reidar smiled wider. “Go sit in the living room, I think I still have some documentary playing. Feel free to change it if you wish. David and I will be right with you.”

 

Taken a little back by somebody using his full name the teen paused but then nodded and headed off. He could hear the two older men chatting in the kitchen but over the noise of the T.V. he wasn’t able to decipher any of the exact words. On the screen there was a show talking about the tundra and how harsh the bitter cold could be. It was pretty during the spring though.

 

David waltzed back in and sat on the far end of the couch, foot kicked up on his knee as he sprawled his arms over the back. His fingers were just inches away from Corey’s shoulder and the teen was tempted to lean into him but decided against it. They still needed to have a talk about where they stood with each other and until that happened he felt like it might be a bad idea to do anything. 

 

When Reidar came into the living room he noticed David’s arm and paused. The dark haired man raised a challenging brow and the blond just chuffed before plopping down in the middle. He completely ignored David’s limb and smushed the hand under his own arm as he draped it over Corey’s shoulders. 

 

Neither of them acted like anything was out of the ordinary so Corey decided to take a page out of their book and play it cool. The documentary began talking about these funny short legged deer that lived on an island off of Norway. 

 

Reidar leaned in close and spoke lowly. “They are quite interesting, actually. Seen them myself a few years back when I assisted on a study.” 

 

A heated flush crept up Corey’s neck at the soft tone and warm breath on his ear. “Yeah?” 

 

By then the man had leaned back though he hummed in return. “Indeed.” 

 

Contact on his shoulder almost made Corey jump, Reidar’s thick fingers were idly playing with the fabric on his arm but when he looked over it seemed like the man hardly noticed. David however looked over, saw, and then winked playfully. 

 

Corey turned back to the program but leaned over a little to rest into the crook of Reidar’s arm and the man responded by tucking him closer. 

 

A few minutes later a buzzer went off and the large blond sprung off the couch and hurried away. David openly laughed at him and then looked over at Corey. The teen tilted his head and a dark brow rose in a silent _‘You okay?’_ , nodding in return he smiled a little when the other grinned and focused back on the documentary. 

 

Some bustling could be heard from the kitchen and David called out if the other needed help. Reidar declined but then swore loudly so David calmly stood and went off to investigate. 

 

He was gone for a while.

 

Corey decided to ignore the section on penguins in favor of looking into it himself. 

 

In the kitchen Reidar was nursing his hand under the faucet while David was slicing up a thin loaf of bread. His appearance must have caught the blond’s attention because he turned a little and widely smiled. 

 

“My oven mitt has a hole in it, it seems.” 

 

“We’ll have to get you a new one.” David calmly stated, not even looking up.

 

“Are you okay?” Corey asked as he walked further into the room.

 

“Aye,” Reidar grinned fondly. “I shall live.” 

 

Chuckling the teen nodded and walked over to David, leaning over his shoulder.

 

“Flat bread?” 

 

“It is tradition!” The blond loudly spoke in a huff as if he had been through this argument before. 

 

“Vann has never let Reid live it down that he can make homemade bread,” David rumbled with a laugh. “She teases him about it all the time.” 

 

“I think it’s cool,” Corey complemented, noticing the larger blond smile gratefully. “I can’t cook all that much. Got my dad’s clumsy hands, I guess.” 

 

“I can teach you.” Reidar lit up with a huge smile. 

 

“Oh, you’re in for it now,” The dark haired man chuckled beside him. “He’s going to hold you to that.” 

 

“I don’t mind.” The teen said softly. 

 

“Why don’t we sit at the table?” Their host rounded over to the table and motioned to the place sets. “I believe we have some things to discuss.” 

 

“Maybe after dinner, Reid?” David tried but was shot down. 

 

“No, I think during will be just fine.” Reidar shook his head. “Is good news, either way.” 

 

Corey cast his glance between the two before shuffling over and putting himself down at the small round table. First he folded his hands together, though that felt uncomfortable so he crossed his arms over his chest. That felt too confrontational, so he eventually let them just come to rest on the table some. 

 

David sat on his left though Reidar stayed standing and tended to the oven. 

 

“Corey, Reidar and I spent some time during lunch going over our relationship and where we stand with that,” David began to explain calmly. “We came to some conclusions as well as agreements and now we believe it is only fair that we have the same discussion with you.” 

 

“Okay,” Corey nodded, a nervous energy building up in his gut. “So, what is it?” 

 

Reidar laughed at the oven. “No need to fret, Corrigan. We simply wish to talk about the basis for this relationship and where everyone’s limits lay.” 

 

“Limits?” The teen’s brow furrowed. 

 

“Yes,” David picked up. “Limits. As of right now there are some things that either Reidar or myself would not quite be comfortable with doing, so we would expect you to respect that. We also have assumed that you would have some of your own.” 

 

“But, before we put the cart before the horse, let me ask you this,” Reidar walked over and sat down. “What style of relationship are you interested in? David and myself have decided to remain together, so you have the option to be with only David or I would also be willing to date you as well.” 

 

Corey paused and looked between the two of them, something that he felt he might be doing a lot of in the future. “So, I’d get to be the meat?” 

 

David blushed furiously but Reidar burst out laughing after just a moment. 

 

“You have been speaking too much with Peter already.” The blond chuckled as he wiped at his eye.

 

“To put it simply, you would be in a relationship with David, as well as one with myself,” Reidar spoke once he calmed himself. “And then we would all be in a relationship with one another, simultaneously. That is what a relationship with both of us would entail.” 

 

Corey thought for a moment, smirking some before speaking. “Both, both is good.” 

 

The larger blond grinned and nudged David a little. 

 

The dark haired man cleared his throat. “Alright, limits,” Tugging at his sleeve the large man seemed nervous, which to Corey seemed silly considering who he was. “Reidar and I have spoken, and I am working on it —I promise— but for now, while I am interested, I think it would be best if I remain just a friend in this equation.” 

 

The teen tilted his head, confused by the man’s words but he mutely nodded. Looking over at Reidar he noticed that the other was giving David a bit of an odd look as well. Mentally shrugging it off, Corey accepted it and justified to himself that David must have a reason for his announcement. 

 

The man in question let out a heavy sigh, slumping some in his seat. “At the current time, your age is an obstacle for me. I have some of my own hang ups on that and until I can fully overcome them Reid and I decided it wouldn’t be fair to you to let them shadow what we had.” 

 

Reidar rubbed a large hand over his boyfriend’s shoulder and leaned over to whisper words in his ear. Corey had never considered that David would be the insecure one in any relationship, though it seemed like he was wrong. 

 

“I’m sure you’ve noticed that David only preforms in scenes with those over the age of twenty,” Reidar rumbled lowly. “He has his own reasons for that, ones that you will one day be privy to. But until then he would prefer that you did not push.” 

 

“Of course.” Corey piped immediately. 

 

David looked up at him, a grateful smile tinting his lips. 

 

“I also don’t want your relationship with us to interfere with you experiencing things that others your age are.” The man put lightly. 

 

Corey chuffed but grinned. “David, I really don’t think I’m missing out by not getting black-out drunk and sleeping with strangers.” 

 

Chuckling the man nodded and shrugged. “I was meaning things more like going to Prom or Grad Night or anything like that. Though I guess Reidar has been talking to you about skipping your senior year?” 

 

“Testing out.” The large blond at his side injected. 

 

It was Corey’s turn to shrug and he mildly shook his head. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it. But either way it’s not like I’d be able to take who I wanted to Prom anyways. There’s an age limit of twenty one on guests.” 

 

It took a second but the teen could see the exact moment that his words clicked with both men. Reidar smiled softly and got these doe-like bedroom eyes that shouldn’t have been possible for a man with his mass, and David bit his bottom lip some to hide the massive grin that was otherwise eating his face. 

 

“Yeah?” David spoke quietly.

 

Embarrassed a little the younger blond looked out the sliding glass door and tried to apathetically shrug. “Yeah.” 

 

Reidar stood when the oven beeper blared and slid on these ridiculous bright orange oven mitts. 

 

“He really likes orange, doesn’t he?” Corey spoke behind the man’s broad back, earning a impetuous grin from David. 

 

“You wouldn’t believe the tantrum he threw when he realized that Daren had already claimed the orange house.” 

 

“I did not.” Reidar scoffed from the stove. 

 

Corey laughed and looked back at David. The man’s blues snared on him and the two simply considered each other for a moment. 

 

“So, I’m not trying to push or be disrespectful, so tell me to shove it if need be,” The blond broke the silence. “But, uh, is the twenty rule just for actors or...? Cuz’ I’d really kind of hate having to wait two whole years to date you both.” 

 

David laughed softly and shook his head. 

 

“No, we can revisit this once you’re eighteen,” He glanced over at the older blond as he bopped in the kitchen, dishing up dinner. “Reid, however, has suggested that maybe you two get to know each other first. Date a little, make sure you’re compatible.” 

 

“Reidar wants to date me?” Corey leaned forward as he whispered, hoping that the other blond couldn’t hear him. 

 

“Aye,” Apparently he did. “I think it would benefit us three.” 

 

The man set down three plates —that he may have carried over rather professionally— and then sat back down, picking up a fork and gesturing for the others to begin. 

 

“You might not have seen it, but David here has me beat by a few months of wooing. In a sense you two have been toeing at that line between close friends and dating, so I propose that I take the next few weeks and try to catch up,” Taking his first bite of mutton the man smiled fondly and moaned. “You can fish the peppercorns out if you wish, but the experience is best if left whole.” 

 

Tentatively the teen picked up a small bite and tried the foreign dish. Flavor exploded on his tongue and judging by the other’s loud laughs he hadn’t concealed his surprise all that well. 

 

“Wow, this is really good,” The teen complemented. “If this is how you cook all the time, consider myself wooed.” 

 

Reidar boomed again with laughter and grinned widely. “Very well, but I request that we go on at least three dates before making that official.” 

 

“Done.” Corey smiled back. 

 

Dinner was wonderful, the _Fårikål_ was perfect, the flatbread had great flavor, and even though Corey had sipped on water while the others enjoyed ale the teen admitted that he had a good time. David and Reidar chatted about work, including Corey when they could and made jokes at the other model’s expense. David spoke about the possibility of Reidar joining him at Pride this upcoming June. When the teen mentioned that he’d never been that cinched the deal and the larger blond (Now his boyfriend?) announced that it would be both their first times. 

 

Corey helped Reidar clean up the plates and soaked the dishes in water to wash later. He noticed that there was a significant portion of their dinner left over and the Norwegian man explained that _Fårikål_ was even better a day or two after. The teen eagerly accepted when Reidar suggested that he take some for tomorrow’s lunch. 

 

They reunited in the living room, the television was on some music channel, softly crooning out a slow jazz number. David lazily reclined in the corner of the couch and Reidar walked over to him, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. When David opened his arms Reidar slid down onto the couch and laid back on him in a clearly familiar move, the two cuddling some. 

 

Once again Corey was a little surprised at their dynamic, they melded well but the lines were a little blurred. The teen was so used to one partner being consistently ‘dominant’ or whatever they called it, and while it seemed that Reidar carried that overtone more often it wasn’t always the way it was. 

 

“You are welcome to join us.”

 

Reidar’s low baritone broke Corey out of his fascination and he looked around the room. There was a recliner in the corner but as he made his way to it one of the older blond’s hands reached out and gently tugged him to the couch. It was a little foreign to the teen, him and Jim didn’t ‘cuddle’, the other thought that it was ‘too gay’. Which really? But in the end, it meant that Corey had little experience with it. Letting Reidar just guide him he carefully cradled himself in the nest that the man’s legs made on the cushions and cautiously leaned back against his solid chest. 

 

He felt warm and cosy, Reidar’s arms wrapped around his chest and held him close and the man’s scruffy chin was nuzzling in his hair. David playfully griped about them being too heavy but they both ignored him. David’s own arms were bracketing Reidar’s and occasionally Corey would see one of his hands dance down the large blond’s arms and link with his fingers. 

 

They sat like that for several songs, enjoying the embrace and just calmly drifting. Corey could hear Reidar’s heart loudly pumping, the rhythmic tempo calming him to a drowsy state. 

 

“It looks like the little one is sleepy.” He felt and heard the deep voice of Reidar chuckle. 

 

“Not little.” The teen protested. 

 

Reidar simply clutched one of Corey’s hands in his own to demonstrate the difference and then chuckled again when the teen snorted. 

 

“Sorry, not all of us can be giants.” 

 

“That’s quite alright,” Reidar hummed. “I like the difference.” 

 

“Besides, you’re young,” David peeped in. “You still have a change to get taller.” 

 

Corey thought on that and nodded a bit. Jr. had a growth spurt after graduation, the Olsen men were late bloomers. So it was possible he’d grow some.

 

Reidar hummed along to the song playing and Corey felt the man’s hands drifting over his arms and coming up to his shoulders. They stayed there for a moment, rubbing gently and soothingly. One then stretched across his collarbone, a move that should have felt restricting but wasn’t constricting on his neck so it simply felt protective. Corey mildly wondered what the man was up to but decided to just go with it. 

 

“Tomorrow I go on campus,” Reidar spoke gently in his ear. “Perhaps you could join me? We have a few things between us to speak of and it would give you an opportunity to begin your paperwork.” 

 

“Okay.” The teen nodded amicably. 

 

Once again Reidar hummed and Corey felt his free hand ghost along his jaw before it carefully tilted his head upward. The move elongated his neck and allowed him to see how Reidar’s own face was over his. The man leaned forward and their lips met. And, yeah, it was a little awkward, not really aligned all that well and a few escaped hairs tickled the teen’s face. But it was sweet. 

 

Reidar kissed differently than David did. David’s kiss was almost reverent, so soft and gentle, almost like a high schooler’s timid first kiss with their crush. Reidar though, Reidar was dominant in his action. Clearly the man would have had more control if they were right side up, but the affect was the same. There was power in his kiss, more exploratory, but yet still held restraint and fondness. It wasn’t rough by any means but to Corey it was clear who was in charge. 

 

When Reidar pulled back he was smiling and his tongue darted out to taste at his lips. It made Corey want to surge up and reclaim the kiss but he didn’t. The two just softly looked at each other in their awkward position, both smiling. 

 

Then Corey caught David’s face over Reidar’s shoulder, a sharp glint in his eye but a mild blush heating his face. 

 

“Really, Reid?” The dark haired man chuckled after a moment. “The Spiderman kiss?”

 

“Consider us even.” The blond responded in kind, wrapping his massive arms around Corey’s waist. 

 

Corey’s mind reflected back to a few days ago, what the large blond had told him about ‘knowing’ when it was his turn to ‘seduce’ Corey. His own response came back just as quickly. 

 

Woof indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading all, comments as always are welcome ^w^
> 
>  
> 
> (((Also, a question for my readers! As a writer I try to not write stories that revolve around smut, so I'm not amazingly practiced at it @3@ But I was wondering if my readers would be interested in me doing little spin offs of this story that are basically an accumulation on scenes that the actors do/excluded scenes from this story? So, any interest?)))


	16. Big Man on Campus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, so here's the newest chapter for 'Steel Studios'! Sorry it's late, I'm still adjusting to my new schedule which affects my writing time. 
> 
> Chapter is unedited, so let me know if any of you spot anything. ^w^

Waking up alone in David’s house was unusual. Corey had gotten used to the fact that the man normally got up early to go for a jog or workout, and even though he knew that David was only a few doors down with Reidar the teen couldn’t help but feel a little lonely. 

 

Shuffling downstairs in just a pair of sweats he got the coffee machine going and leaned against the counter while he waited for the water to heat. 

 

Last night had been rather sweet, in the weird Corey was walking into a pre-formed relationship sort of way. David and Reidar had all sorts of little looks and motions that spoke of familiarity and allowed them to carry on little conversations on the side while they listened to music. Corey himself had been comfortable enough to get really sleepy after his kiss with the larger blond —something he was still a little spellbound by— and he could tell that the other two wanted to go to bed as well. Together. 

 

So between the three of them Corey decided to act first and stretched out and mumbled a few lines about going to bed. Reidar quickly agreed but David seemed conflicted, which led to another one of their silent ‘talks’. It led to the two taller men walking the teen back to David’s before going back to the other’s for what Reidar jokingly called a ‘Nightcap’. 

 

Which, Corey wasn’t an expert by any means, but he knew exactly what the foreign blond meant. 

 

So he’d spent the night alone and apparently woke up alone. It was just before seven so David should be back soon to pop through the shower and pick up clothes at the very least. Unless he had a stash at Reidar’s. 

 

Pouring himself a strong cup of joe after the contraption beeped the young blond shuffled about the kitchen, mildly wondering what to do with his free day. He really hadn’t had one since he moved in with David where he wasn’t tied to the man’s hip. He remembered that Reidar had mentioned something about checking out the campus, though he had no idea when that might be. 

 

Corey also figured he should check his phone for messages at some point. Look at his upcoming schedule, or more accurately David’s schedule. Guy was busy. 

 

Checking in on the tank in the living room Corey saw all the fish happily swimming about in the mild morning lighting. Turning to look out the big window he saw David stepping out of Reidar’s, making his way home with a calm, confident gait. He looked well rested, at least from a distance. 

 

Smirking to himself the teen turned to go back upstairs, settling himself down on his bed just as he heard the front door opening. He chuckled a little at the large man clearly trying to be as quiet as possible as he came up the stairs, though when David passed and checked in on him the man seemed sheepish for it. 

 

“Morning, Core.” He smiled softly. 

 

“I do believe that’s what this time is called.” Corey teased, tapping at his phone. 

 

The older man chuffed, still standing in the doorway. 

 

“Sleep okay?” David asked politely. 

 

“Yep,” The blond popped on the word and snickered. “You sleep at all?” 

 

“Reidar is quite strict on his sleep schedule, actually,” The man seemed chagrined. “So, yes, a solid eight hours.” 

 

Rolling his eyes playfully the teen just nodded. “Good. Getting cleaned up for today?” 

 

“Yeah,” David pushed off the doorframe. “Gotta jet through real quick, first appointment is at eight thirty.” 

 

“Better hurry,” Corey grinned impishly. “Don’t want to miss your ‘interview’.” 

 

David’s loud laugh echoed off the walls as he walked away. “You should get ready too, Reid wants to leave here by ten!” 

 

Chuckling a little Corey nodded to himself and made a mental note to do that. Texting back his brother and a few others on his social media page the teen was about to sign off when he got a message from some girl. Looking at her picture it took a minute but then it clicked, it was Amber. He hadn’t spoken to her in a while. 

 

_[Hey. How is it going?]_

 

The message seemed innocent enough. 

 

[It’s good. The usual. Got a day off from work but I’m being dragged out of the house to see the college.] 

 

Keeping the app open on his phone the teen stood and shuffled through his drawers for some nice, casual clothes. David’s shower was running strong, so he still had plenty of time. 

 

_[You got a job!]_

_[Congratulations!!! ♡♡♡ ]_

 

Corey snickered at the girl’s floating pink hearts. He’d forgotten that he’d told her so much. 

 

[Thanks, I like it and it pays the bills.]

[How about you?]

 

David’s shower cut off and Corey listened for a moment, trying to figure out the man’s battle plan. Hearing an electric razor start up moments later the teen had his answer and he slid on a shirt before heading downstairs. 

 

“You eaten?” Corey called on his way down. 

 

“Naw, could you make me a shake though?” David replied within seconds. 

 

“Sure!” Once again the teen yelled out his response. 

 

Back in the kitchen, he sliced a thick bagel and popped it in the toaster before measuring out the protein powder and other ingredients he needed for David’s shake. 

 

Corey was slathering jam on his pastry when David came down looking all official and boss-like. Letting out a wolf whistle the teen chuckled when David rolled his eyes and snagged his drink. 

 

“This is fine _Italian Silk_ ,” The man primly stated. “One does not crudely whistle at that.” 

 

“I only see one fine Italian thing in this room, and it sure ain’t the silk.” He flirted, fighting off the blush heating his cheeks. He could be smooth. 

 

Sometimes. 

 

David mildly blushed at his ears but muttered under his breath. “Heathen.” 

 

“Have a good day, sweetie.” Corey adopted the stereotypical housewife accent, waving demurely at the ‘bread-winning’ man. 

 

The man snorted and rolled his own eyes. “Be good for Reidar, Schnookums, I’d hate to hear anything bad about my number one gal.” 

 

His own faux-Brooklyn accent was even more atrocious than Corey’s previous attempt. The two broke out laughing a moment later and David waved him off as he left. 

 

That gave the teen two more hours to get ready, which he filled with surfing the web, chatting with Amber (Who was good and excited to start her own summer semester), and then going through his morning regimen. 

 

Stepping out of the shower he took a minute to examine himself in the mirror. He was seriously considering asking Peter to be a workout buddy, because —frankly— without one Corey wasn’t doing anything that resembled a workout at all. Snatching his phone up off his bed as he walked by the teen did just that, firing off a message to see if the other would be interested. 

 

He got a very enthusiastic ‘YES!’. 

 

By the time he was putting the finishing touches on his hair a loud resounding knock met his ears. Smirking to himself Corey tore down the stairs and greeted the larger blond. 

 

“Hey, Reidar.” He smiled. 

 

“Good morning, Corey.” The taller rumbled happily. 

 

Blushing a little as he looked at his shoes the teen peeked up at his friend and smiled. “So, what’s the plan for today?” 

 

Reidar hummed a bit in thought. “First we’re going to see about your admission to the campus, then I have a few errands to run. It shouldn’t take us all that long.” 

 

“Alright,” Corey nodded, tugging a little at the hem of his polo shirt. He still had most of his old wardrobe and had picked from it something more casual to wear. “We taking your car?” 

 

“Unless you want to walk,” The older man chuckled, motioning for the younger to follow. Corey made sure to lock the door behind him when he left. “You’re not ready to ride on the motorcycle just yet.” 

 

“I can ride on the motorcycle?” Corey rushed out a little too enthusiastically, earning him a hearty laugh. 

 

“Aye,” Once again Reidar let loose a rakish grin. “But first we must get you a helmet.” 

 

Smiling himself the teen patted himself down to make sure he had everything he needed. “Uh, Reid, what will I need today? Like, got my wallet but will I need my Social Security card or anything?” 

 

“You shouldn’t,” The other responded as they walked back to his open garage. “Today I’m going to merely have you apply and by the end of the week we will be notified if you’ve been accepted or not.” 

 

“Why wouldn’t I be accepted?” Corey worried as he ducked into Reidar’s car. 

 

“Honestly, there isn’t any good reason for you not to be,” Reidar reasoned as he started up the older sedan. “We might have to use your parent’s house as your current address, but so long as we set all of your notices to your email there shouldn’t be a problem with that,” He seemed to pick up on the teen’s impending argument and cut him off. “We can change it here in a few weeks, but for now it might be best if everyone thinks you live with your parents.” 

 

Corey nodded mildly and looked down at his folded hands. Newport Community College —NNC, go Ospreys!— was a nice campus, taking up a healthy forty block section of Southern Mid-Town, with NAF being a sister school in the same area. It was actually a simple drive from where he now lived, going South down Marina then turning onto College, and the campus was only a handful blocks away. The buildings were mostly redbrick that had English Ivy crawling all over them, tall palm trees rooted down in giant planters that held all sorts of other grand flora. NNC had even won an award last year as one of California’s most attractive campuses. 

 

Corey had only seen it a few times when he visited Jr. or when he was scouting out NAF for his own interests. Needless to say, he was impressed. 

 

Due to nerves the teen was a little quiet during the drive, though Reidar seemed content to hum along to the softly playing music and drive calmly. Corey’s unease must have read clearly because at a stoplight the larger blond held a hand over the shifter, palm up in open invitation. Smiling shyly he took his hand and felt tingling butterflies fill his stomach. 

 

Reidar also smiled fondly but kept his eyes on the road, enclosing their hands together. 

 

“I am a tactile person, Corey,” The man rumbled. “I like being touched and touching others—” 

 

To which Corey couldn’t help but snicker, earning a reproachful (gentle) squeeze of his hand.

 

“—I was going to offer my support to ease your jitters, but if you’re going to be an imp...” Reidar playfully threatened. 

 

“I’ll behave, promise!” Corey quickly interjected, fastening his grip on the other’s hand. 

 

Reidar boomed a laugh as they pulled into the college parking lot. 

 

“Very well,” He hummed. “It is something we shall have to discuss. I do not have the same reservations about developing a physical relationship with you like David does, though that does still have limits out of respect for him. But it does mean that I will quickly take to you and touching you. Is that permissible?” 

 

Corey looked down at their joined hands and chuckled. “Yeah, Reid, that’s ‘permissible’.” 

 

Reflecting a little the teen shrugged. “Jim wasn’t all that big on PDA unless he was staking his claim in some way. I don’t know, it was weird, a lot of stuff he always said ‘belonged behind closed doors’.” 

 

“Sounds an awful like somebody was ashamed of their own needs,” Reidar rumbled lowly, turning off the car and looking over. “Was that something that bothered you, another ‘staking a claim’, as you put it.” 

 

“No, not really,” The younger blond stated as he stepped out of the car. “I mean, it would bother me when he was only doing it to show off or if he was being an ass about it. But it’s kind of nice in a way, I guess, like you belong with somebody and they belong with you.” 

 

“You say ‘belong with’ not ‘to’,” The tall man smirked as he pulled his side satchel from his trunk. “That’s a lovely way of approaching it.” 

 

Shrugging a little Corey just looked at the campus and scratched at his nose. “Yeah, I guess.”

 

Reidar smiled softly as he sauntered closer to the teen, holding out a hand again. “Well then, Corrigan Charles Olsen, I am happy to say that you currently belong with me.” 

 

Blushing to his ears Corey took his hand again and smiled. The other rumbled with a soft chuckled and led them both onto campus. 

 

As they walked a few people milling about recognized Reidar and greeted him, noting them holding hands but all was met with smiles. It turned out Reidar was fairly popular on campus. The full hand hold also devolved to just their pinkies intwined, which seemed strangely more innocent yet somehow more intimate.

 

Corey was just enjoying the short walk with his (maybe?) boyfriend and commented on the nice weather. When they reached the administration building Reidar guided him over to a computer and had him begin to fill out form after form for admittance. The entire time the blond towered over him, casually leaning against the desk at his side while pointing out vital things to answer and how. At one point Reidar had bowed down and pointed over Corey’s shoulder, thick arm just shy of brushing him. He hadn’t thought of it before but the guy smelled flipping phenomenal. Clean with just the hint of a scented deodorant but also with a thicker, indescribable, scent that was pure Reidar. 

 

Once they got it all settled away the older blond suggested that they go to his office to pick up a few materials he needed before swinging past a small campus café he was fond of. 

 

Now simply along for the ride Corey easily agreed and placidly followed. As they walked Reidar informed him of the names of the buildings and what classes he might find there, more students were greeted, and by the time they got to Reidar’s small office Corey was surprised that nobody really seemed to recognize him beyond a fellow student or assistant.

 

“I’m not an official aide just yet, but Professor Hickory enjoys my insight on the topic of Ecology so I assist her off the books,” He explained as he shuffled about the small office space, gathering heavy sheafs of paper. “I also sometimes help with her grading if she becomes too busy.” 

 

Nodding a little the teen leaned in the door way. “Honestly, I’m kind of surprised that nobody recognizes you.” 

 

Reidar laughed and shook his head. “I’m not really all that well known,” The man explained. “I keep myself out of the spotlight and a very small percentage of the population actually watches my videos.” 

 

“That’s not what your ratings say,” Corey chuffed. “You know you’re viewed nearly as much as David is, right? And he’s been there years longer.” 

 

Chuckling the larger blond herded them out of the room. “Doing your homework, are we?” 

 

“It’s my job.” The teen sniffed primly. 

 

Reidar laughed happily and looped his arm jovially over the other’s shoulder. It was a little awkward to walk that way, but Corey found that he didn’t mind all that much. 

 

The Newport Campus Café was a smaller kiosk-type establishment that surrounded itself with cute little umbrella topped tables. Reidar had ordered two medium americanos and then they both picked out a muffin. Reidar happily munched on a banana-nut variety while Corey himself enjoyed a poppyseed. Sitting off to the side by a large azalea bush the two ate. 

 

“So, Corey, we did not get to discuss it much last night,” Reidar began. “But what is it that you expect from me in regards to this relationship?” 

 

Caught a little off guard the teen paused and thought, ending with a shrug. “Honestly, I have no clue. I mean, I guess I’d just kind of like to test the waters? If that makes any sense.” 

 

Nodding along the older blond brushed off his whiskers. “Certainly, we can play it by ear and whatever fits well we can go with.” 

 

“I don’t have a ton of experience dating,” The teen shrugged. “But, uh, I like this. It’s casual, easy.” 

 

Reidar hummed lowly and smiled. “Low maintenance,” He offered. “Perhaps between the two of us we can bring David down a few notches. He is surprisingly high strung.” 

 

Chuckling at the dark haired man’s expense Corey shrugged. 

 

“And what about me?” The teen looked up with green eyes. “What is it that you’re expecting from me?” 

 

The man across from him seemed to contemplate his answer carefully before speaking. “I believe that David and I would both ask that you pursue your education, you’ve spoken of you desire to go to college, and we would both like to see you do that. Also, I believe it would be fair if you were not to judge us for what we do during our time with the studios.” 

 

Nodding Corey agreed. “Yeah, once I can I’d really like to take classes at the NAF, earn a degree in something I like. And as for the last part, I think that’d be pretty rude of me to hold it against you now. I mean, things are changing a little bit but it’s your job for right now. I don’t own you or anything.” 

 

Reidar steepled his fingers and nodded a little. “No, but I do believe that it is fair for there to be stipulations. David and I have an understanding with one another, we treat ourselves as actors and each scene we do is simply that, a scene. There is no emotional attachment to our co-workers and we can both understand that. I am sure that by now you have noticed that I never engage in kissing during my scenes, nor does David. That is on purpose, that is our requirement of each other. So would there be anything that either of us do that would make you uncomfortable?”

 

“Not that I can think of?” The teen shrugged after a moment. Thinking on a few of the things he’d seen the men do and to who, one did stick out to him. “Actually, um, that guy David did a scene with a while back, Rocky or something like that? Um, well, I couldn’t help but notice he looked a lot like me. It was kind of weird.” 

 

Nodding a little the older man seesawed his hand. “Just a tad, no matter how unintentional,” Reidar lifted a shoulder. “But I believe we can agree to no doppelgangers.” 

 

Sighing a little Corey smiled a tad. “Other than that it’s kind of hot in a way, I guess. I mean, I’m dating two of the biggest studs in the industry. Though I can’t decided if that sounds creepy or not when I put it that way...” 

 

The larger man boomed out a laugh that caught a couple passerby’s attention. “Not at all, David and I enjoy the fact as well.” 

 

“Okay,” The teen ducked down a little, blushing again. “So it’s cool I guess. Like, it’s not really sharing or cheating because you come back to me or David?” 

 

Humming the man seemed to consider that. “I believe it’s a little more complicated than that, but yes.” 

 

Nodding the teen looked at the crumby remains of his snack. “Hey, Reidar, does this mean that you’re my boyfriend?” 

 

“Well, I’d hardly call myself a ‘boy’,” Reidar rumbled with a chuckle, though Corey rose a confused brow. “But ‘Man-friend’ does sound creepy.”

 

“Yeah, just a bit.” Corey agreed. 

 

Sighing the larger blond looked off in the distance. “I will admit, I have struggled with the titles for quite some time. Boyfriend hardly seems to meet what I have with David and now you, sounds juvenile in a way; Partner is too easily misconstrued; Lover sounds scandalous,” Defeatedly shrugging Reidar sighed. “I have noticed that English sometimes fails me when trying to find the right words, but I am willing to go with whatever suits you best.” 

 

“I’ve kind of always wanted a hot college boyfriend.” The younger admitted with a slight reddening of his cheeks. 

 

Chuckling lowly Reidar conceded. “Boyfriend it is then.” 

 

“Corey?” 

 

Both men turned to look at the approaching girl. Dressed in a appropriately long skirt and a simple blouse-vest combo Amber clipped closer in knee high heels. She had apparently cut her longer hair and now it bobbed at just her shoulders. It was also striped with blue and pink. 

 

“I though it was you!” She smiled as she got closer. 

 

“Hey, Amber.” Corey smiled a little, waving awkwardly at her. 

 

“I was hoping I’d see you around today,” Amber clutched her small binder to her chest, stopping just a foot away. “Are you going to be going here?”

 

“I hope so,” The teen nodded, pointing over to his companion. “Reid has talked me into taking a few classes so I can test out of my senior year.” 

 

“Reid?” The young woman questioned and finally took notice of the other blond at the table. Blushing immediately, she tilted her head down and smiled flirtatiously. “M-Mr. Folkestad! Hi!” 

 

Chuckling the older nodded mildly. “Amber, it is good to see you again.” 

 

“Y-yeah,” The woman looked between the two men and tilted her head. “Are you going to be TA’ing again for Professor Hickory again this semester?” 

 

“I’m afraid not,” Reidar shook his head. “I’ve got a few extra classes to take to be ready by spring.” 

 

“And then you’ll be teaching here?” The dyed blond once again questioned. 

 

Laughing the older man nodded. “Yes, I will belong to the science department though, so I doubt you will see much of me.” 

 

Frowning a little Amber tilted to one hip. “Bummer, but it’s good to know you’ll be around.” 

 

“Indeed,” Nodding politely the man stood —towering over both of them— gathered up not only his but Corey’s garbage as well to go throw away. “I’ll be right back, _kjæreste_.”

 

Corey smiled softly at the word, he had no idea what it meant but form the warm tone it was fond. Or Reidar was being a butt and calling a troll or something. Corey liked to think it was the former. He also noticed that Amber graciously ogled the man’s back side as he strolled away, not that he could blame her. Those jeans were sin. 

 

“So, how do you know Mr. Folkestad?” Amber asked once the man was out of earshot. 

 

“Uh, it’s a little complicated,” Corey dipped his head and shrugged. “Friend of a friend, I guess.” 

 

The girl hummed. “Really? Because the only time I’ve ever heard him speak in anything beyond his beautifully eloquent English it was when he drove a tac into his thumb.” 

 

The blond teen didn’t need to see the girl’s face to know that she was 100% done with his bullshit. 

 

“Uh, I guess he’s _technically_ more than just a friend.” He admitted, resulting in a loud screeching sound that only girls and dolphins seemed to be capable of making. 

 

Amber crowded up against the table and smiled fanatically. “O.M.G, really! That’s so hot!” 

 

Corey stared resolutely down at the table but he felt the back of his neck heating up, and it wasn’t from the sun. “Yeah, I guess.” 

 

“You know,” She spoke as she rested her hip on the table. “When I saw you with that guy at the party I realized you were into older guys, but isn’t Mr. Folkestad, like thirty or something?”

 

Damn near choking on his tongue Corey coughed awkwardly. “Uh, I’m actually older than Jim by a few weeks. Though Reidar is only twenty five, I think.” 

 

“For a handful of months now, I believe.” Reidar answered smugly as he sauntered up, neither of them had even noticed his return. 

 

The man ran a broad hand over Corey’s shoulders and sat right next to him, the small bench just barely allowing it. Keeping his arm over the teen’s shoulder the older blond looked over at Amber and smiled politely. 

 

“Any reason you’d like to know?” 

 

Blushing furiously Amber seemed starstruck and to Corey it was clear that she had a huge crush on Reidar. 

 

“Just making an observation.” She eventually gulped out. 

 

Corey snickered a little as he wiggled to be more comfortable against Reidar’s side. 

 

Reidar hummed appreciatively and nodded a little. “Observations are very good, but it is risky to jump to conclusions. One piece of evidence does not make a case.” 

 

Blushing again the girl looked a little chastised but then nodded to the two of them. “So, you two are a thing?” 

 

This got the large blond to laugh and he nodded again. “Yes, Corey and myself are currently becoming a ‘thing’, as you put it.” 

 

“Wow,” Amber sighed wistfully. “Who’d a thunk it.” 

 

“Any one who looked him up online.” Corey muttered under his breath, earning a playful jab to his side.

 

“I have heard many rumors about myself floating about,” Reidar nodded calmly. “Sorry to say that most of them are untrue.” 

 

Sighing again the girl just shook her head. “Well, I guess that’s a bummer. You’re going to be breaking a lot of hearts.”

 

“That I am used to,” The man chuckled in a playfully remorseful way. “But there are only two hearts among the many I care about.” 

 

That caused Corey to blush a little, furthered along by Reidar’s kiss to the top of his head, and Amber to tilt her head again. But before she could ask the clock tower bell began to ring and she shook it off. 

 

“Well, I’ve got to get to class,” She spoke a little sadly. “I guess I’ll be seeing both of you around campus?”

 

“Of course.” They both said at the same time, waving her off as she left. 

 

Waiting a few moments before turning to face the other, Corey grinned a little and winked. “So, I’m one of the only hearts you care about, huh?” 

 

Reidar laughed him off and playfully shoved him. “Turn of phrase.” 

 

The teen made a noise in the back of his throat showing his complete and utter lack of trust in that statement. “You’re secretly going to be mushy as possible, aren’t you?” 

 

“I can be free with my affections.” The man stood, thumbs looping into his pockets and placidly looking down at him. 

 

“That’s okay,” Corey stood and chuckled. “I kind of dig you being a giant ol’ teddy bear, it’s cute.” 

 

The narrowing of his eyes was the only warning Corey got and he managed to bolt a few feet away before the larger blond managed to snag him and put him in a headlock. Knuckles rested down on his scalp threateningly. 

 

“You are aware that I have younger brothers, yes?” 

 

“Uh...” Corey paused at what that meant for a second before realizing it was a very similar move that Jr. had put him in dozens of times. Struggling for the sake of his roots the teen flailed pointlessly. 

 

But Reidar just laughed and patted him on the head before releasing him. “One day, young Corrigan, one day I will be able to share with you what I share with David. I promise you, on that day, you will no longer see me as ‘cute’.” 

 

Once again the teen paused, mid action in fixing his hair. “That was by far the most intimidating yet sexy threat I think I have ever gotten.” 

 

Reidar’s booming laugh was probably heard all over campus and he just clapped Corey fondly on the shoulder. “Oh, Corey, it wasn’t a threat. It was a promise.” 

 

Brain fried the teen took a second to reboot and came back to Reidar’s mischievously grinning face and he chuffed. 

 

“Yeah, like David would ever let that happen.” Spinning on his toe Corey began to strut away but was once again snagged and pulled back by his hips. Back to Reidar’s front, warm thumbs rubbed circles oh his denim covered hips and the man’s chin rested down on his shoulder. 

 

“I don’t know what you mean, Corey, because when that time comes, I can assure you this: David will help.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flirty Reidar is Flirty. 
> 
> As always comments/questions are welcome, and I hope to get the next chapter out to you soon.


	17. Admitted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, okay, so I fell off the face of the planet...Sorry about that...>3>
> 
> Any~who, I should be back to posting more regularly again. At least on this story. I'm putting my other work 'Over the Barrel' on a back burner for now so I won't be updating it as much. I've also gone back and have been combing over the story for continuity errors, nothing big but enough to irritate me, so if you spot any please bring them to my attention. ^w^
> 
> ((This chapter hasn't been picked through yet, so there might be some errors))

By the time that Friday rolled around Corey had found that Reidar held true to his promises and had quite quickly picked up the mantle of ‘Boyfriend’. The man was almost doting in a way, sweet in the simplest of ways without being overbearing. The last few mornings he’d gathered Corey for an easy boardwalk jog and then passed him off to Peter for their less intense work out. Reidar also floated about and spent time with David, their easy camaraderie affectionate and familiar. 

 

David also seemed a lot more at ease around Corey now, his casual touches and gentle ribbing back to the way it was when they first began talking. The teen was still dealing with the strict boundary of friendship between them, but he was managing as best as he could. It helped that Reidar easily kept him distracted with his absolutely random text messages and ridiculous SnapChats. 

 

Friday also met the two in David’s garage doing much needed laundry. 

 

“Okay, so, I’m not typically the kind of guy who puts pressure on ya all of a sudden, but this next answer is extremely important if we are to remain friends.” Corey spoke, holding up the two suspect articles of clothing and holding them side by side. “Who is better?” 

 

David paused from where he was loading the washing machine and stood proper, looking over at Corey in confusion. Noticing the colored fabric the teen held the man canted onto one hip and leaned against the washer. 

 

“Hmm...Well, you see, that’s a complicated answer.” David mused, scratching at the three day old scruff on his jaw. 

 

Corey simply rose a brow in silent prodding. 

 

“Well, c’mon, you have to admit, those Super Undies are softer that sin,” The dark haired man grinned. “Feel awful god cupping the family jewels.” 

 

Corey snickered a little but wiggled the patriotic panties in his right hand. 

 

“But yeah,” David admitted with a nod. “It’s always good to know that Cap’s got my six.” 

 

The teen rolled his eyes and smirked, folding the two pairs of boxer briefs and reuniting them with their kin. 

 

“Good answer, Steel,” Corey taunted. “I was a little worried there for a minute. Though I’m not even going to comment on the fact that you have superhero themed underwear.” 

 

David chuffed with a roll of his eyes but smirked anyways. 

 

“So, I never got around to asking,” The dark haired man spoke after he set the last load. “How’s it going with Reid?” 

 

The blond paused in his folding and smiled softly. 

 

“It’s good. We’re taking it slow, like, really slow.” 

 

Nodding along David smiled in kind. “Good, he’s a great guy.” 

 

“You probably wouldn’t be dating him if he wasn’t.” Corey teased, snapping out a pair of red silk briefs. David apparently had an affinity for super soft undies. 

 

“Probably not,” The man chuckled. “Wouldn’t let you date him either.” 

 

Smirking a little Corey nodded. “He wanted to have me over tonight for dinner again.” 

 

Grinning David winked at the other. “Getting you into his lair of seduction, huh?” 

 

The teen scoffed jokingly. “Please, Reid is so blatant in all of his actions. I mean, looking like he does, he doesn’t really need to ‘seduce’. The man could just stand there and people would flock to him.” 

 

“He’s still totally wooing you,” David shrugged as he lifted a huge bin of dried laundry. “Guy may not be subtle but give him a chance and Reid is smooth as fuck.” 

 

“Yeah...” The blond looked off and smirked. “You’re not so bad yourself.” 

 

Snickering the man walking out the door shook his head. “Kid, I got no game.” 

 

“David, I’ve seen peacocks less flashy than you.” Corey flatly stated as he followed with his smaller basket. 

 

Amusingly the man huffed and stayed silent. 

 

“Peter let me on to your game,” The teen continued. “Showing off all your nice things and showing that you would be a good provider. That’s some serious ‘Alpha Male’ behavior right there.” 

 

That got a chuckle out of David as they went up the stairs. 

 

“Okay, Kid, you caught me,” He laughed in admittance. “I may have a little game, but I’m shit at flirting unless it’s for a scene.” 

 

This time it was Corey’s turn to snicker. “Dave, I hate to break it to you but ‘ _I’m going to wreck you so good_ ’ does not count as legitimate flirting.”

 

David rolled his eyes mulishly and set his basket down just outside of Corey’s door. 

 

“It’s not my fault what my writers do.” 

 

Corey chuckled and slipped into his room, shuffling through the various piles of clothes until he found his. David was doing the same, handing things off to be hung when needed but otherwise just putting things aside on the bed. 

 

“What about you?” Corey spoke up as he peeked out of his closet. “You and Reidar are good?” 

 

“Yeah, Core, we’re good.” David smiled softly. 

 

Returning the smiled the teen nodded. As he put clothes away he ignored the fact that his clothes were beginning to smell like David’s from using the same detergent. It was a soft but fresh smell that lofted around them both now. 

 

“So, I tried asking him about it, but I think you two need to go out on a date.”

 

David peered up at him, head tilted. “Oh?” 

 

“Yeah,” Corey nodded in return. “You two haven’t really done that since you became official. It should be a thing.” 

 

“That won’t bother you?” The man leaned on the door frame. 

 

“Nope,” The blond popped his word and shrugged. “It’s only fair, after all. I mean, I know what Reid has been doing are his own version of stealth dates. It’s sweet. And you should get to do that with him, he’s your boyfriend too.” 

 

David seemed frozen but Corey shrugged it off and bustled past him with a basket. 

 

“And one of these nights when you two are out, I’m totally stealing your Jacuzzi.” 

 

David’s resounding laugh made Corey smile as he put the man’s socks away. 

 

Around noon the doorbell rang and he opened the door to see an anxious looking Peter on the stoop. 

 

“So?” The brunet spoke, hands wrung. 

 

“So, what?” Corey chuckled as he let the other in. 

 

“Did you get in?!” Peter’s excitement was evident, as was his exasperation. 

 

It took the teen a second to catch up but when he did he shrugged. “Don’t know, haven’t checked.” 

 

Peter let out some sort of whining noise signaling his disapproval. “Why not?” 

 

“Just haven’t gotten around to it.” He shrugged again but pulled out his phone. 

 

As usual he had a few e-mails from various people, notifications from social media, and some spam, but a good ten down the list was the letter he’d been eagerly waiting for and dreading all the same. 

 

Peter bustled up behind him, buzzing about his shoulder and razzing. Corey rolled his eyes and clicked on the link. 

 

_‘Dear, Corrigan Olsen, we are happy to tell you that you have been accepted into the Newport Junior College._

 

_Classes begin...’_

 

Corey had muttered the words aloud as he read them and Peter let out a whooping noise in congratulations. 

 

“Who let a dying whale into my house?” David teased as he came in from the kitchen, apron on from where he must have been doing dishes. 

 

“He got in!” Peter crowed. 

 

Corey laughed but shoved his new friend harshly. “Which I’m pretty sure was _my_ news to share...”

 

“Don’t care.” The slightly taller brunet smiled it off and looped the teen in with an arm. The blond could have done with out the sloppy kiss to his temple, but there was no use fighting him off anymore. 

 

David stood there with a warm smile, pride twinkling in his eye. It was a good look on him, despite the fact he was wearing a lacy kitchen frock. 

 

“Congratulations.” He said simply. 

 

Corey shrugged it off a little but beamed anyways. “I pretty much figured I would get in. I’m local so it’s pretty much guaranteed.” 

 

“Reid is going to be so proud of you!” Peter cheered, slugging him in the shoulder a tad too hard. 

 

“And he’ll be pissed if you bruise me.” Corey retorted, punching him back just as hard. 

 

“Children!” David growled out when they devolved into a small wrestling match. 

 

“What?” Peter tried to look innocent, despite the fact that Corey had him locked under his arm. 

 

With a heavy sigh the man just turned around and walked away. “If you’re _that_ intent on killing each other, at least do it outside.” 

 

Snickering Peter shoved Corey off and stood up straight. “Right, Dave’s afraid we’ll break his toys.” 

 

The teen snorted while brushing himself off. Peter was incorrigible sometimes, but he was quickly becoming a good friend. 

 

“You should tell Reidar,” David’s voice echoed through the house. “He’s been antsy all week waiting to hear from you.” 

 

Smirking a bit Corey nodded and dutifully pulled out his phone once more. Pulling up Reidar’s contact he smiled at the fond look gazing back at him. Reid had taken him out to get ice cream the other day for one of his ‘stealth dates’ and they had chatted a bit about this or that. Corey decided to snap a picture of the man just so he’d have a genuine picture of him, and without prompt the massive blond just smiled widely, cherry vanilla swirl in hand. It was rather perfect. 

 

Typing out the good news, Corey sent it off and wandered into the kitchen where David and Peter waited. The older man was just finishing up putting things in the dishwasher and Peter was making a pest out of himself as usual. 

 

Letting them have their moment, Corey straddled a chair at the table and just watched. He didn’t know much about the younger man, but the teen had quickly come to the conclusion that Peter was an attention hog. An, of course, with David having the patience of a Saint, the smaller brunet wasn’t getting any from him. 

 

“You know, you could always go pester Neal,” Corey informed with a smirk. “He’s home right now.” 

 

“Yeah, but he had a girl over last night...” The lanky model sighed, walking over. “And he gets strangely territorial when there’s a woman in his man cave.” 

 

Snorting, Corey couldn’t resist. “That could be taken _so_ many ways.” 

 

The two shared a laugh and David just shook his head. 

 

Peter was about to say something when Corey’s phone buzzed and snagged the teen’s attention. 

 

Unlocking the screen a picture met him. Reidar was in his ‘office’ on campus, glasses perched just on the tip of his nose, a happy yet smooth smiled easing his face. 

 

_‘Congratulations! We shall have to celebrate this tonight!”_

 

Peter pressed down on his shoulder, patting down rapidly. 

 

“Ooooh! Someone’s getting lucky!” The brunet cheered. 

 

“Not until he’s eighteen, he’s not!” David countered, though even he had a cheerful grin. 

 

* * *

 

Later that night, as requested, Corey headed over to Reidar’s for dinner. The teen felt a little bad about leaving David behind but the man waved it off saying that he had plans with his youngest sister anyways. 

 

Reidar had greeted the slighter blond with a crushing bear hug at the door and quickly swept him inside for a warm home-cooked meal and a night of celebration. 

 

“What David does not know won’t earn me a lecture.” The man’s conspiratorial whisper hummed with mischief, handing Corey a fluted glass with dinner. 

 

The teen hadn’t dabbled much into the finer world of wine, but the sweet yet crisp flavor on his tongue was warm and know where near as harsh as the bootlegged stuff he’d drank at parties. Reidar seemed to enjoy it as well, though he commented on the fact that it was hardly enough to effect either of them. 

 

They chatted with dinner, simple things about future plans and reasons. Corey like that Reidar was open and willing to talk to him like an adult, or at the very least a person. Sometimes the man would share sage advice but never in a condescending sense. 

 

“We can look at courses tomorrow, if you’d like,” The large blond offered as they cleared the table. “The college offers several courses that would behoove you, though some of them have prerequisites.” 

 

Corey nodded along, nudging into the other fondly as he passed. Reidar retaliated with a small swat of a towel. 

 

“Well, you mentioned that there are classes for skipping a year?” The younger prompted. “Do you know anything about those?” 

 

“Not a lot, I admit,” Reidar frowned. “At least, not as much as I would like. I do know that they will keep you rather busy for the next two months or so.” 

 

“So, it’s a total cram session...” The teen sighed remorsefully. 

 

“A tad, yes,” The larger blond nodded apologetically. Once he was done with the dishes he walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a small tin-foiled plate. “Though I would think it would be better than several more months at your current school.” 

 

“Yeah,” Corey mused. “I mean, at least I’ll be on campus with you. That’ll be nice.” 

 

Reidar laughed loudly, herding them out his back door. “Aye, you will have me. I can help you with whatever studying you will need.” 

 

“Too bad I won’t be taking Anatomy...” The teen playfully gave the other a well over side-eye. 

 

Chuckling the man gripped Corey’s neck with a playful shake. “Poking a bear, Corrigan.” The warning was completely taunting, though the grin on Reidar’s face was anything but innocent. 

 

“Yeah, a muscle bear.” The smaller blond muttered under his breath. 

 

It seemed that Reidar decided to ignore him, instead setting the plate down on a small little table flanked by two chairs. 

 

From what Corey had seen, Reidar had the most private yard by far. With a tall wall on two sides and a large echium bordering the side he shared with Darren it made the foreigner's yard seem much smaller, cosy. It also wasn’t very heavily furnished, just a small table on the flagstone patio. 

 

As he was looking about Corey didn’t notice that Reidar had lit a tall candle on the table and set out small little deserts, two fluted glasses of wine refilled and waiting. 

 

“Perhaps you’ve noticed by now, but this is really more of a guest cottage than anything.” Reidar’s soft rumble came from behind him seconds before warm arms banded Corey in place. 

 

Snuggling back into the easy affection Corey smiled a bit and shrugged. “I thought it was kind of weird that you didn’t seem to have much. Though, the simplistic look suits you.” 

 

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say you are calling me simple, young Corrigan.” 

 

The words were husked into his ear and deep down Corey loved how the man made his name sound. Just the way Reidar said it, he made it sound sexy, with just the smallest undercurrent of playful threat. A line in sand that was just demanding to be crossed. 

 

And Corey loved it. 

 

“Simple, no.” He craned his neck a little to meet the other’s eyes. “But you also don’t strike me as the kind of guy that needs a whole bunch of things to be happy.” 

 

“A good man on my arm and a good drink in hand.” Reidar suavely agreed. 

 

Corey turned a little awkwardly but then came chest to chest with the taller blond. Smiling up at him the younger just scrunched his nose up in a silent laugh. “Glad to hear it.” 

 

Reidar hummed fondly and rocked them back and forth a bit. “I spoke with David earlier, should you wish you may spend the night here. He won’t worry.” 

 

Snorting Corey smirked. “Yes he will.” 

 

“Aye,” The man rumbled with a laugh that was felt more than heard. “But he means his best. Though I promised nothing uncouth would happen to you.” 

 

“I’m not a wilting flower, Reid,” Corey teased. “I won’t break if you want to do anything.” 

 

“Oh, there is much I wish to do to you,” Reidar grinned. “Though I made a promise, and I intend to keep it. Though, should you wish, in a few more weeks you will very much be fair game.” 

 

Snickering to himself, Corey rather like the idea of that. 

 

“So, before you enthrall me with a tale of just how you wish to ravish me like a hero from a trashy paperback,” The teen noted, eyes glancing over the taller man’s shoulder. “What’s with the candle?” 

 

“I thought eating desert outside would be nice,” Reidar commented kindly, giving Corey a small squeeze before backing away. “Though, I do believe you’ve evaded my last question.” 

 

“And which one was that?” The shorter blond teased. 

 

“Staying the night,” The man said, strolling over to a seat but not sitting until Corey himself had sat. “Would you wish to?” 

 

Smiling down at the small cake-like desert Corey thought on it. “Well, I guess if we’re just sleeping...I mean, there’s no point in both of us sleeping alone.” 

 

Chuckling Reidar took a small bite and moaned happily. “There’s no reason to try and bring reason in to this. It’s simply a matter of if you wish to, or not. No hard feelings either way.” 

 

Blushing a little the teen nodded and also began to enjoy the chocolate laced cake. “I’d really like that, Reidar.” 

 

“Then it’s settled!” The large blond happily confirmed. “Though I warn you, if you have sleeping habits at all like David’s, I will hold no reservations about kicking you out to the couch.” 

 

That got Corey to laugh. “Why? What’s David do?” 

 

“He’s a horrendous bedding thief.” Reidar grumbled, face grim. 

 

“Oh! No, nothing like that,” The teen was quick to shake his head. “If anything I’m just a tad clingy.” 

 

“Just as well, I tend to overheat anyways.” With a casual roll of his shoulders Reidar settled deeply into his chair and smiled up at the sky. 

 

It was the little things, Corey had decided. It was all the odd little things that each of the actors did on a day to day basis that took them off a pedestal in his mind and made them people. Completely and absolutely ridiculous people. 

 

* * *

 

On the other side of town David sat in his younger sister’s house, a small single-story. It was cosy though clearly the home to three small children, but the chaos had an appeal to it. Or, at least, it had his family. 

 

Bouncing his three year old nephew on his knee the man had been explaining to his sister the most recent developments in his life. Courtney wasn’t very fond of the fact that he was an ‘Adult Entertainer’ (Because, yes, the capitals were necessary if you wanted to give the title any validity. Ignore the fact that you could call him a Business Owner or Manager instead.) and David wasn’t very keen to the fact that his baby sister had been knocked up at seventeen by her high school sweetheart (Though, admittedly, the guy was really good to her). They had their disagreements, but if they didn’t they wouldn’t be family. 

 

“So, what you’re saying is that your — _now official_ — boyfriend is dating the kid that you’ve been mooning over... And you’re completely okay with that?” Courtney skeptically recapped, youngest on her hip. 

 

“Yeah,” David smiled fondly down at Nikko, who contently blew a snot bubble. Which was ~~_gross_~~  cute. “Actually, I’m pretty good with it. Reid can take better care of him right now.” 

 

“You say that like you’re a complete mess.” Rolling her hazel eyes the woman strode to her sink and fetched a ring for the teething toddler. 

 

Shaking his own head David sighed a tad. “I just don’t think I’m at a place where I would be able to date him seriously. Not like he deserves.” 

 

“David, he’s a teenager,” His sister snorted, trying to convince young Ginny to take the toy. “He’s in a stage where he deserves to get his heart broken a few times so he can become jaded like the rest of us.” 

 

Rolling his own eyes David frowned at how his sister could be so soured yet be so happy with her situation. 

 

“I forget that not all of us are so lucky as to have a baby by senior year.” 

 

“Hey, it’s not my fault if Reidar gets stolen out from under you if this kid is really so great.” Courtney countered effortlessly. 

 

“Unca Righ is going somewhere?” Courtney’s eldest, Amalia, spoke hesitantly as she peeked in the room. 

 

“No, Reid’s not going anywhere,” David sighed heavily. The kids had immediately adored Reidar like he was blood instead of a near stranger when they first met him. “He’s just seeing somebody else right now.”

 

“I thought he was seeing you.” Amalia frowned, a toy rabbit hanging from her hand. 

 

“He is,” The man said cautiously, not needing to see his sister’s death glare to feel it on the back of his neck. “But he is also seeing another boy.” 

 

“So, Unca Righ has two boyfriends?” The girl gathered the same skeptical look she inherited from her mother. 

 

“Yeah.” David nodded simply. 

 

“You can _do_ that!?” The girl seemed lost in awe and excitement. 

 

“So long as everybody involved agrees to it, yeah.” He nodded to his niece. 

 

The girl’s eyes widened and then she ran off, not before shouting that she needed to tell all of her friends. 

 

“Thanks, David,” Courtney glared at him, but there was amusement in her eyes. “Now when I get calls from the PTA complaining about how my daughter is dating all the boys in school I will know who to blame.” 

 

“Just doing my part.” David laughed with a shrug. 

 

Nikko laughed along. 

 

After a nice dinner with when Deondre got home from his job at a garage (And if Courtney hadn’t heard enough from their mother about marrying somebody who wasn’t a ‘Nice Italian Boy’ then David would eat his socks. The nice ones.) David headed back home to an empty house. Which was weird. Which was even weirder considering he hadn’t even been living with Corey all that long. 

 

The kid had nestled well into his life and David wouldn’t have it any other way. 

 

Stripping down to his undershirt and sliding on a pair of silk bottoms the man poured himself a glass of red wine and reviewed his schedule for the next day. Corey was off until Monday so David kept himself updated as much as possible. His last rounds of interviews hadn’t been as popular as he hoped, one of the guys was a cute redhead that David could have sworn would be a shoe-in. Though numbers didn’t lie, so unless any three of the guys were looking for work they weren’t likely to show up at the studios again. 

 

David himself hadn’t shot a scene in a while. Not that he minded, they tended to only release a Magnum video once a month, if that. He rubbed at his now smooth jaw and wondered if it were time to start planning a shoot of some sort. A large gap between scenes was disparaging to fans, yet at the same time made him high in demand. Going with his gut feeling David sent off a letter to his writing team, seeing if anything they had could be worked with or had something in the chamber for him. 

 

The man also hedged a few emails from other studios asking for him to appear on their sites. David was a Steel Studios exclusive, so he had to decline, though he did offer to host a star of each of theirs to bolster traffic on both sites. 

 

And his sister said he wasn’t diplomatic. 

 

Just before nine his phone buzzed with a message from Reidar. 

 

_[ Corey has elected to spend the night with me. - R.F. ]_

 

Smirking the man nodded and typed back. 

 

[ Alright, I won’t stay up. - D.A. ]

 

Sipping at his wine the dark haired man settled back into his chair calmly. It actually made him rather happy to know that Reidar and Corey had gotten so close so quickly, they fit beautifully. A part of his mind told him that they would be incredibly popular should they make a video together, but the rest of him quickly stomped that idea flat. He had no shame in his work, but he wasn’t going to put Corey on the front side of a camera. 

 

_[ Yes you will. - R.F. ]_

_[ But that’s alright, we love you for it <3 -R.F. ]_

 

Once again David smiled, dopily, and tapped back. 

 

[ I promise. One more glass at the most, and then I am off to bed. Some of us have work tomorrow. - D.A. ]

 

Chuckling he put his now empty glass aside and stood. 

 

Finishing up his emails the last one snagged his attention. It was from another small independent studio, this one based down in San Diego. Sun~Rise Films had been on the scene just a little longer than they had at Steel, appeared at a few of the same festivals. 

 

Initially he wrote it off as a fluff piece, the smaller studios attempting to earn an ally in a highly competitive world, but he was wrong. It was a job proposition. 

 

Apparently Sun Rise was launching a mini-series next summer on a relatively well known LGBT channel. Something about a supernatural investigation group? The details were still a little vague but the twelve episode series was almost completely written and they had a green light to hire. 

 

And they wanted him for a role. 

 

Somebody wanted David for a non-adult role. (At least not completely.)

 

The show had some risky material, so they were looking for actors who were willing to work with it. They said that they were impressed with his early work as a background actor in his sister’s films (Which was rather embarrassing, actually. Back then he looked like such a dork.) and hoped to hear from him. 

 

David had never really facilitated the idea of being a real actor. At least not seriously. He had a job at the studios, one that he rather liked. He honestly figured once he retired he’d continue to work behind the scenes as a director/management. Somebody had to keep those wheels rolling. 

 

Though, the adult side of the studios was getting smaller, Reidar would be leaving them next year and there hadn’t been any talk of replacing him. Both Neal and Peter would also be leaving once they were done with school. Darren would stick around for a long time, his style of scenes relying more on his attitude than appearance, aging wouldn’t be a problem for him. 

 

David mused for a moment, ignoring the buzz from his phone. Vann was talking about expanding, her side of the studios was becoming rather hyped with the film they were shooting. They had the potential to become really big. 

 

Making any big decisions late at night wasn’t a smart practice, so David decided to pin it for a moment and come back to it with a fresh mind. 

 

Going back to the offer he typed out a longer response, admitting his interest while asking for a little more basic information as well as perhaps a selection from the script. He wanted to know what he was getting into before diving in. 

 

Sending off what would possibly be a huge change to his career the dark haired man sighed and nodded to himself, sure that he made the right decision. 

 

David’s phone buzzed again in reminder, opening it he couldn’t help but smile fondly. 

 

_[Very well. Good night, Mama Bear. <3 -R.F. ]_

 

Chuckling at the nickname David shook his head and returned to message. 

 

[ Good night, Papa Bear. Make sure Corey brushes his teeth. - D.A. ]

 

Pulling away from his chair David rinsed his glass in the sink and went upstairs. Tomorrow would be a new day and he could have a chance to talk over his future more then. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's going on with the boy's lives? Everything. Everything is going on and some shit is probably about to hit the fan. 
> 
> So stay tuned for that! 
> 
> Questions, comments, and kudos are loved and appreciated! I'm still kind of just playing this story by ear and letting them lead me where they want to go, but if there is anything y'all want to see let me know and I'll see if I can work it in! 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading!


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